A Curious Specimen
by Cluckster
Summary: Makoto is hired by a research facility to study a new species, but the job may be more than she's prepared to handle.
1. Prologue

AN:

This is my entry for the Senshi and Shitennou Reverse Mini Bang 2019!

A gianourmous THANK YOU to my beta AdriannaSharp, who talked me through this entire process and was so incredibly supportive it left in shock. You're truly the best!  
And, please let's all give it up for Lizlee! Whose art inspired this entire thing. You are amazing and your art had me shrieking various times in the past year. Thank you for all your work.

All art is posted on Archive of Our Own under the same fic.

Waves crashed in the distance. Seagulls squalled above her. Sea breeze cooled her skin and Makoto felt content.

She was laying in the sand, catching some sun. The rays shone almost clear through her eyelids. It was so bright even though she had her eyes closed. She felt a little cold, despite the sun. She couldn't really hear the waves anymore. Makoto's hands ached. She opened her eyes and shut them quickly again. It was too bright. Slowly she blinked her eyes open and saw the fluorescent bulbs above her. She was lying in a bright white room.

"You're awake," a male voice said. Makoto turned her head, hope and love swelling in her chest. Blue eyes met hers and she felt her eyes swell with tears.


	2. Chapter 1 - The Interview

Makoto was used to disappointment. Orphanages have a special way of sucking the joy out of children. Most kids never even knew their parents before arriving at The Place Where Happiness Dies, as Makoto so fondly liked to think of it. She didn't know if it was a good thing or not that they didn't know what it was like to have a family beforehand. She didn't know if it was a blessing or a curse that she knew her parents and that her parents were good, decent people that loved her so much and whom she loved with all heart. All Makoto knew was that her parents weren't there anymore.

The tears didn't stop for a month. Even after the first month, the depression didn't lift, she just became numb to everything. Numb to gray cement walls, numb to tasteless chicken and rice every day for dinner, and numb to the fact that this was her life now.

She didn't manage to get into Boston University or even University of California for marine science- and why would she? Big fancy universities like that didn't care too much about some poor little orphan girl saving her pennies by working in a food shack on the beach. She was rejected from 3 science centers due to her community college degree. And most recently, her fiance Andrew Crown dumped her for another woman.

It was enough to make anyone break. But Makoto Kino was made of steel. Every disappointment was just another fire forging her into a stronger person.

And not _everything _was terrible.

Her caretakers weren't mean people like you see in the movies. They didn't beat her or yell at her or even ignore her. They gave her plenty of hugs and made sure she did all her homework and got enough vegetables in before bed.

She didn't get straight A's either when she got into Occidental Community College in Los Angeles, but Makoto worked hard to earn every A she did get. Her PhD might not have come from some Ivy League university but it was a PhD nonetheless.

But most importantly, she knew that Andrew was just going through a phase. He would come back to her because they shared too much to be thrown away for some floozy.

But Rita Poule _wasn't _a floozy. She was elegance incarnate. Beautiful, intelligent, and from a good family. What more could a man ask for? It also didn't hurt that she was shorter than Andrew rather the same height- which meant Drew didn't get that frustrated look on his face every time she wore heels.

But even so, Makoto knew Drew would come back. It hurt too much to think that was the end.

Bancroft Oceans Research and Recovery Organization (B.O.R.R.O) was the first place to give her a shot. Ms. Bancroft, billionaire heiress and CEO of the facility, had not thought Makoto's non-major university degrees were subpar...at least not yet.

The building was one of her favorites in Los Angeles. The effort scientists in the organization made to help marine animals in need was incredible. Makoto had spent more than one afternoon touring the recovery areas, watching their biologists and doctors nurse animals back to health. For them to give her an opportunity in employment was a dream come true.

B.O.R.R.O. had called Makoto to set up an interview for a new position they were opening up in their oceanfront center. It was just a part-time job, but Makoto had a one bedroom apartment lease she could no longer afford by waiting tables. She needed a real job.

Makoto admired Ms. Bancroft for negating her father's wishes of following his steps in becoming an oil tycoon and instead opened a center for marine life. She might not have met Ms. Bancroft in person before, but who would open such a place for something if they did not have a passion for it?

The facility was large and gray with few windows making it look more like a prison than a research facility. But none of that mattered to Makoto when she saw that the building sat on the edge of a small cliff, the ocean spanning the entire horizon. After parking her car nearest to the office entrance, Makoto put her purse on the hood and walked to the edge of the cliff.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, letting the sea breeze from the crashing waves below mist her face. The sun was halfway out behind her and the sunlight just touching the surface made the water glitter beautifully. Makoto leaned against the lamppost beside her, adjusting her shoulder to avoid the square electrical box that powered the parking lot around her, and took the view in.

Makoto first visited the ocean when she was 13 years old. It had been two years since her parents passed away and Makoto had stopped crying every night. The trip had been her main caretaker's idea. Ms. Meioh thought Makoto needed to open up to someone and since she refused to talk to her appointed therapist, perhaps it would help to visit her parents.

"You want me to go all Hamlet at the cemetery?" Makoto asked in that sarcastic tone that comes naturally to all teenagers..

"Nothing quite so dramatic." Ms. Meioh gave a small chuckle unbothered by her demeanor. "I was thinking more like the ocean."

Makoto became more subdued at the idea being presented to her.

"I was just thinking, Mako. You never got to say goodbye to them. The cemetery's kind of depressing, I doubt that would help anybody. But maybe the ocean would be a nicer spot." Ms. Meioh explained.

"You want me to go where they died?" Makoto had asked quietly, unsure.

"Well, why not? It's not like it's a bad view. It's certainly more personal than a cemetery that has nothing but your parent's names on it. Have you ever been?"

Makoto shook her head.

"I think you would like it. Let me know if you ever need a ride." Ms. Meioh.

That had been 10 years ago. Makoto hardly went anywhere that wasn't the beach. She was blessed to have found a job with such a view. It would make sure to start her days with a smile.

The ritual wasn't a depressing one, she wasn't greeting her parents every time she went to the ocean. She had stopped that a long time ago. Well, except for on their anniversary that is. The Makoto always made sure to bring flowers on their wedding anniversary- their death anniversary being too sad for her to want to commemorate. This year she had brought them tulips.

Taking in one last deep refreshing breath, Makoto made her way back to her car to grab her purse and give the best damn interview of her life.

She entered a lobby that was devoid of almost everything but abstract gray art and a desk. She approached the bored looking receptionist and introduced herself. The receptionist stared back annoyed but said nothing.

"...um... I have an interview?" Makoto elaborated.

"Have a seat," the receptionist replied in a monotone voice.

"Thanks," Makoto said without actually being grateful for the rude woman's answer.

Makoto spied a lone chair in the far wall and sat herself down. She looked at the watch and tried to calm her nerves.

An hour passed and Makoto decided to speak with the receptionist again.

"Excuse me. But I've been waiting for quite a while, would you mind letting someone know I'm here?"

The receptionist blinked three times before deigning to reply.

"They know you're here."

"Oh. Uh, okay. I'll just… go sit back down, then."

Three hours passed and Makoto began to wonder if this was some kind of prank. She stood once more to face the ogre at reception.

"Hi, me again. By any chance do you think anyone will be able to see me today? Because I can come back, if that's needed."

"It'll just be a little longer," the ogre replied without looking up.

"Right... Okay, I'll just… sit down."

The ogre didn't reply.

Makoto had a hard time not falling asleep in the silent office and her phone had died halfway through her day. There were only so many game apps she could play before her battery blinked red and shut off.

She checked her watch and saw it was 4:59PM. A minute later the receptionist stood up and made her way out of the lobby. As she passed her, Makoto spoke up.

"Thank you for wasting my time. Truly, this was an experience unlike anything I've ever even heard. The professionalism you have shown me today is astounding." The sarcasm in her tone was so sharp it could have cut glass. The receptionist did not acknowledge her as she exited the lobby.

Makoto was used to disappointment, but this had been downright insulting.

She remained seated trying to calm down for another few seconds, not wanting to run into the ogre in the parking lot, before grabbing her purse and standing up. She noticed the sun had gone down through the large glass doors and found it odd she didn't see anyone else enter or leave the building.

Trying to look at the bright side, she was grateful she managed to avoid going home to an empty apartment. She had been thinking about maybe getting a cat. Nevermind that she always preferred dogs, but she couldn't keep a giant golden retriever in such a small apartment. It wouldn't be fair to the dog to be so cooped up. But could she be a cat person?

Makoto imagined herself gray and wrinkly, jobless with 50 cats surrounding her as she told them all about her failed love life. She shook the thought away concluding she had a ways to go before she began the transition into crazy cat lady. She slipped her hand in her purse and began to blindly search for the keys to her car. It would be another night filled with reruns of The Office for her. Quietly laughing to herself since she didn't have anyone to laugh loudly with. No one to hold her hand and kiss her temple just because he felt like it. Just a lonely bed with cold sheets. Her hands found the keys. Makoto shook her head and headed for the door.

"Snap out of it, Mako!" she told herself. "Life is more than just boys. You'll find another one. Some other gorgeous guy who's tall enough for you if you wear flats. Plenty of fish in the sea, right? Just gotta find the right fish."

She put her hand on the door, ready to push it open when a voice spoke up from behind her.

"I might be able to help you with that one. Dr. Makoto Kino, I presume?" the voice said.

Makoto turned around to find a woman standing behind her. She was absolutely gorgeous. Her hair was dark red, pin straight, and cut short to her chin. She wore a purple suit that molded to her body with large pieces of gold jewelry. Her make up was sharp and immaculate as were her nails. Her red lipstick shone with confidence and power over her straight white teeth. Even her posh accent spoke of elegance beyond anything Makoto could ever achieve.

"Uh.. yeah?"

"Beryl Bancroft, pleased to meet you." She extended her hand for a loose handshake.

Makoto gaped in shock that someone had actually come out to receive her. She only stood speechless for a moment before she realized the name the woman had given her. "Bancroft? As in the CEO of-"

"The building we're in, yes. I own it." Beryl smiled proudly, though her smile was slightly tight, as if her skin couldn't pull it further back.

"Oh. I didn't realize the interview would be with you."

"I hire everyone that works in this company. Were you waiting long?"

"Actually-"

"Nevermind that. Follow me." She turned around and began walking with a pace Makoto found improbable in such high stilettos. She rushed to catch up.

"Dr. Kino, I hear you are the most brilliant scientist this country has seen in a long time."

"Oh, gosh ma'am-"

"Dr. Kino, stop calling me ma'am. Ms. Bancroft will do."

"Oh, right ma'- uh, Ms. Bancroft" she quickly corrected at Ms. Bancroft's raised eyebrow. "You see, ma'- Ms. Bancroft" _'Get it together Makoto,' _she berated herself. She needed this interview to go well. "I don't know about being the most brilliant scientist. I'm a pretty good biologist, I think."

"Excellent. Then you're just the right woman for the job."

The pair reached the elevator and stepped inside where Ms. Bancroft took out a badge from her pocket and scanned it in the side panel which opened a door that blended perfectly into the metal. Ms. Bancroft pressed the button labeled "5L" and Makoto felt the elevator go down which was odd because the map on the panelling stated they were on the ground level.

"I read your resume, I was impressed. I also made a few calls to your school. Your professors told me great things about you. About your brilliance in the scientific field, your intuition with marine life, and your dedication to your work."

"Oh," Makoto said flattered. "But, how did you find my professors?"

"Nevermind that, darling." Ms. Bancroft cut her off. "You must be wondering why I've brought you here." She said as the elevator doors opened to reveal a concrete hallway with a set of large metal doors labeled 'RESTRICTED'.

"Well-"

"I need you Dr. Kino." She intoned seriously. Makoto was beginning to wish she could get a word in edgewise with the CEO. "I need your brilliance, your dedication, and your secrecy," she finished grave voice.

"Um. Of course, I would-"

"Wonderful." Ms. Bancroft slid her badge once more on the side of the metal doors and they slid open slowly to reveal a dark room with glowing tank at the far end. It was a large tank, at least 75 feet deep and 200 feet wide, and contained a few schools of fish. Makoto tried to look around but the room was too dark. All she could see was the reflection of Ms. Bancroft's jewelry from the tank in front of them.

"Dr. Kino, I have found a new species."

"You have? Where? What kind of species? Do you-"

"It is a magnificent creature and I need your help to study it."

"Is it down here? In the tank? How large is it? I've seen whale shark tanks be smaller than this."

"Not quite so large, but most definitely in need of space."

"What kind-"

"Now listen, Dr. Kino-"

"Makoto's fine" she said distractedly.

Ms. Bancroft cut off an irritated sigh. "Makoto" she continued with as wide a smile as she could manage. "This is a new discovery. This is something that will change humanity as we know it."

Ms. Bancroft seemed a bit dramatic to Makoto. What could she possibly have discovered? It wasn't like she had the Loch Ness monster in there. Though, she did notice some rather large scratches on the glass. Her eyes peered further and noticed the sign on the metal.

'CAUTION. SPECIMEN PRONE TO HIGH AGGRESSION'

What had Ms. Bancroft discovered. "I need you to study this creature. Learn its secrets."

"Ms. Bancroft, exactly what did you discover?" Makoto asked warily.

"You might want to step away from the glass, darling. He is _quite _the savage."

_'Savage? That's an odd way to describe a fish. Even if it were a shark-'_

Makoto's thoughts were interrupted by the a large _THUD_. Something had slammed into the glass next to her, making her jump back. By the time she turned towards the glass it was gone. All she caught was sight of a green fin. Her eyes were wide, staring at the tank, waiting for it to reappear.

"What is it?" she whispered.

"The key."

Makoto stepped closer to the glass, hoping to see perhaps a little further above them. She waited for a few moments and almost gave up when a creature, possibly 9 feet long, slammed in front of her. Makoto fell back to the floor, eyes wide and mouth gaped wide open in a silent gasp. She could hardly believe what she was witnessing.

"Beautiful, isn't he?" Ms. Bancroft said quietly.

Makoto was speechless. Floating above her...was a mermaid.


	3. Chapter 2 - The Offer

Makoto had heard and seen some weird things in her life. There was the man who walked away unscathed after jumping 13,000 feet and his parachute failed to open. She'd seen a girl once at the beach with a backwards foot. And she didn't care what Andrew said, that potato had looked _exactly _like Owen Wilson.

But this… this was unreal.

She sat on the floor, heart pounding, staring at the man in the tank glaring at her. He must be an actor, she thought. One of those performers that pretended to be mermaids.

Whatever material the tail was made out of must have been very expensive. Perhaps slightly animatronic. It was long, longer than legs would be, with tendrils coming out of the sides.

Even the smaller details, like his clawed, webbed hands or his pointed ears.

The make up on him was exquisite, she wondered if they used real scales to complete the look.

"He's very good," Makoto said as she picked herself up. "How's he getting his chest to rise and fall as if he were breathing so convincingly?"

Ms. Bancroft laughed lightly. "Come now, Makoto. Do you not believe things when you see them with your own eyes?"

Makoto did not step closer to the glass but took in the man in front of her. His lower half's coloring was a beautiful green that faded into skin around his waist. On his sides and on his neck were incredibly realistic looking gills, they almost seemed to be functioning.

He was handsome beyond belief. His chestnut hair flowed all around him. Normally, Mako thought long hair looked rather feminine on a man. But there was nothing feminine about him. His chest was too broad, his stomach too defined to be considered anything less than pure man. He had a long narrow face with thick eyebrows scrunched with the most intense blue eyes focused solely on her. Mako avoided his gaze and looked instead at his lower half.

"Extraordinary detail," she said. "I've seen mermaid actors before, but this is just incredible. Is it a new material?"

"Makoto," Ms. Bancroft chided. "If makeup this good existed, I wouldn't need Botox." The man in the tank began attacking the glass, punching and slamming his tail on it hard enough to make the tank vibrate when Ms. Bancroft stepped closer to examine him.

Makoto stepped back at his ferocity. She looked at the redhead next to her in disbelief. "You don't expect me to believe that's an actual mermaid in there, do you?"

"Mer_man_, darling."

The man swam away and Makoto noticed the metal collar around his neck. It had a thick metal chain attached to it and Makoto thought it was dangerous having such weight around a person's neck while submerged. As good a swimmer as she was, she didn't think she could get very far with a metal chain attached to her. On the man in the tank however, it didn't even seem to slow him down.

"Why does he have a metal chain attached to him? He could drown. It's not safe."

"He's been there for a few weeks. I think if he were to drown, he would have done so by now."

"Weeks?! How can he- Why would you- What-"

"While you're figuring out the end of your sentences, I'd like to fill you in on some of the details."

Makoto stared incomprehensibly at her and gave a start when the man slammed into the tank again. He hit right behind Ms. Bancroft, no longer giving Makoto his attention. He punched the glass behind her head repeatedly, the violent motions making her worry for Ms. Bancroft.

"As you can see, it's aggressive. Workers refuse to go in the tank anymore after what happened to poor Ted."

"What happened to poor Ted?"

"It's not important, darling. Just be careful around the railing," she said quickly. "You will be working here, there are plenty of desks but no one else will be joining you. You can pick any desk or all of them, it doesn't matter to me. Your hours will be emailed on a weekly basis. It doesn't make much of a mess, so you don't have to worry about cleaning the tank. We've tried to get samples, but once again, the workers refused to go near the tank after dear Frank."

"What happened to Frank?"

"Minor details, darling! Your salary will be satisfactory, of course. Anything you need is at your disposal. The chain also keeps him from reaching the surface, but be careful when you're up there. You don't want to fall in. He'll reach your bones before you realize you've slipped."

"You're serious."

Ms. Bancroft only gave her a wan smile.

"That's really a mermaid in there?"

"Merman."

"I think I need to sit down" Mako said putting a hand to her head. _THUD_. Makoto jumped again at the sound. She realized he kept swimming away to gain speed over the distance.

"Come now, Makoto. I thought you were made of tougher material than this."

"You are suggesting that you have trapped a mythical creature in the basement of your research center."

"Well, what else would we use this center for if not to do research on creatures such as this? Where else would you take him?"

"Where would I- there's no place he would belong. You don't seriously mean you keep him here. All the time?" Makoto felt dizzy. Was she really contemplating that this – this- _thing _was real? "You're telling me that's not a person in a suit?" she asked again before giving Ms. Bancroft the chance to answer her previous question.

"Makoto. I am telling you that this is real. He is real. And I need you to study him."

"Can he communicate?"

"That's why I need you. To find these things out."

"You haven't even tried talking to him?"

"Darling, I've been a little busy making sure he doesn't kill any more workers to have a chit chat with him."

Makoto looked at the creature no longer throwing himself at the glass but clawing and punching at it.

"Look at him. He's desperate to get out. You can't keep him here."

"And why not?"

"It's inhumane!" Makoto spun on her.

"It's not a human, darling." Ms. Bancroft looked at her with mock patience.

"Well… it's not a fish!"

"No, I imagine it's more mammalian."

Makoto took a deep breath to organize her thoughts. "Ms. Bancroft. It's not right. This makes SeaWorld look like PETA!"

"What would you propose, then? He needs to be studied. How else can we progress if not by studying that which inhabits our earth?"

Makoto looked back at the angry creature glaring at them. How could anyone possibly think she could do this to any animal? Whether the thing in front of her was a man or not, it was clearly distressed. Pissed off seemed more like it. There was no way Makoto could go along with any of this.

"I won't do it."

"You disappoint me, darling. I suppose I'll have to call someone else."

"You need to set it free. A living thing like this does not belong in captivity."

"You think I would set this beast loose in the world? He's obviously a killer. I couldn't do that to society." The fake concern pissed Makoto off.

"Society has been fine with it free up til now. Set it free or I will call the authorities." Makoto stated firmly.

"And what, darling? Have them kill him? Because that's what they'll do. " Ms. Bancroft crept slowly closer to Makoto. "They'll see how violent he is. He probably has an intelligent mind." She circled Makoto until they were both looking at the angry merman punching the glass with all its strength. "Think of the chaos. They'd sooner shoot him in that tank than set him loose. So, if you want him dead," she stepped away from her, "by all means."

She was right. It wouldn't matter to anyone that it was only angry because it was caged. No one would set such an aggressive animal free. They would fear it. Hell, Makoto feared it. But she'd seen manageable situations escalate in the blink of an eye in many zoos. If she called anyone, they'd just destroy it before any questions could be asked.

"However," Bancroft continued. "Were you to stay, you could keep him safe. This is the opportunity of a lifetime. Of a millennia." She spoke to her with stars in her eyes, trying to get Makoto to see the personal glory she would receive in the situation. "You would be the most revered marine biologist- hell, scientist- if you were the first one to study this magnificent discovery."

Makoto simply frowned at the woman and shook her head in disbelief. No amount of recognition, awards, or money could get her to be a part of this atrocity.

Ms. Bancroft took a deep frustrated breath. "Of course, there are other scientists that would kill to have this opportunity. Dr. Tomoe, for instance. He and I-"

"_Tomoe?!_" Makoto yelled in disbelief. "That man is a savage! He'd torture and kill it before the day was done! You can't tell him about this! Didn't you hear what he did to that poor girl? She was more robot than girl by the time the government stepped in. That monster should be in jail!"

"But he's not." Bancroft answered easily. "Friends in high places and all. And if you're unwilling to participate, well, darling, be practical. I can't get just anyone. Distasteful as he is, Dr. Tomoe does have a brilliant mind as well."

"More like sadistic,' Makoto mumbled.

"You know, I bet he's still in town." Bancroft seemed to talk to herself. "I wonder if he'd drop by later today. You know the way out, darling. It's been lovely. Ciao," she said as she began tapping her long nails on her phone. Makoto knew what Bancroft was trying to manipulate her. But knowing Tomoe's methods, she couldn't risk calling her bluff.

"Fine."

"What was that, darling? The phone's ringing rather loudly in my ear."

"I said fine! I'll do it." Makoto practically yelled.

"That's what I thought you said." Bancroft said as she hung up her phone. Makoto threw her a begrudging look. "Well, I'll leave you to it. I'll be sending the files we have in the morning. Let me know if you need anything. Ta-ta, darling!" Her stilettos clicked all the way out as she tapped her nails on the tank's glass, making the creature attack it fiercely.

Makoto watched her leave, anger making her hand into a fist.

_THUD_.

It punched the glass once. It floated above her, looking at her with such intensity that Makoto felt she could crumble under its gaze.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered and ran out of the room.


	4. Chapter 3 - First Day

The following morning Makoto skipped enjoying the sunrise and walked straight into the facility with the evidence of a night spent tossing and turning in her eyes and slightly mussed hair. Opening the lobby door Makoto spotted a cardboard box next to the ogress receptionist.

"This is yours," the woman said.

Makoto thought about asking her if she would need to sign any papers, if they had a healthcare plan, if she knew they were keeping a mermaid prisoner in the basement, or maybe just her name. But the irritated look the receptionist was giving her shot down all queries. Makoto picked up the box and walked away.

Inside the envelope Makoto found a security badge attached to a lanyard, notebooks, pens, and a laptop. Everything was happening so quickly, she felt like she was standing on top of a speeding train with no way to get to safety. All she could do was hold on to what she could and pray it all worked out in the end.

She noticed the security badge doubled as a keycard similar to the one Bancroft had used the night before to enter the underground lab. Taking her 5th deep and calming breath of the morning, Makoto slipped the lanyard on, readjusted her purse, and made her way to the lab.

The path back underground was not difficult to remember and she was relieved to see other workers around. Still not as many as she was used to seeing, but it had been a while since she had been a tourist at the facility and maybe they had suffered cutbacks. The elevator accepted her new keycard to take her to the secured "5L" with a quiet _ding_.

What was she even supposed to do? It's not like she could get close enough for a blood sample- had the caution signs not been enough proof of that then the vague mentions of Poor Ted and Dear Frank had been. Of course animals were studied all the time from observation alone, but that was observation while the organism was in its natural habitat. This poor creature was chained to a tank without so much as artificial algae for decor. How long had it been in there? When had it been captured? _How_ had it been captured? Could it communicate? Or rather, could it communicate anything past aggression? There was so much to learn but she didn't want to be the one to find out.

Makoto stood in front of the giant metal doors with the keycard in her hand, ready to swipe it in order to enter the lab, but froze. Stepping through this door would make her an accomplice. To what? She wasn't entirely sure, but she knew for certain it was wrong. She thought about Dr. Tomoe and the horrors she heard he'd done. The inhuman experimentation, the torture he'd inflicted in the name of "science," it was nauseating. She couldn't let that demon near this lab.

With that thought in mind she swiped her card and stepped into the dark lab.

Why was the room so dark anyway? The only light was coming from the tank. It gave an eerie glow over the large room and the silence that filled everything made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on edge. She could only see schools of fish swimming back and forth in the tank, but not the...the...the merman. She still hesitated stepping further than a foot from inside the door.

She wasn't scared of it, it was more apprehension. She didn't want to startle it or make it hostile. It seemed to remember Bancroft and had hellish feelings towards her. It clearly hated her, but maybe that was because it was familiar with her. Would it hate Makoto as much?

The thought distracted her and she began walking towards a desk. Did that mean it was intelligent? To remember a person and display such brutal aggression. It couldn't be coincidence since the creature directed its anger decidedly towards Bancroft and not her the night before.

Putting aside the creature's intelligence, Makoto wondered how cognizant it might be. It _was_ half human after all, or at least appeared to be. Did it understand that it wasn't just trapped but being held prisoner? Did it have a language? It had opposable thumbs which meant- Makoto rushed to set her box down and dug inside of it for a notebook.

Without looking for lights to turn on or even to see if the creature was visible, she sat down at a desk near the tank and began to write her thoughts down. Everything from basic questions as '_What does it eat?'_ to the more complicated '_How can I get a Magnetoencephalography scan_ _from outside an aquarium?'_ She then started writing a list of equipment she would need. EQ Radio, thermal imaging cameras, echosounder, VHF antenna… the list took up two pages.

Makoto was so engrossed in what she would need she didn't notice the creature that made itself visible in front of her. It kept its distance from the glass and regarded the girl with a hostile expression. The girl was furiously writing, completely ignorant to its presence. The creature swam away, once again unseen.

Makoto took out her laptop and began to research what else she would need. She looked up to see the tank still bright and blue and seemingly empty. Frowning slightly, she wondered if it would ever come out. Their introduction to each other the night before had not been the greatest and she wanted to give it some space. Letting it become comfortable enough to approach seemed the best tactic.

It was too quiet in the lab, even the hum of the generators were too low to be comforting. She thought about playing music to break the silence but wasn't sure if the noise would bother him. She needed to learn what kind of temperament it had when Ms. Bancroft wasn't around. Makoto kept biting her tongue, the urge to speak making her wriggle in her seat, but once again, she wanted to keep quiet until it decided to show itself. It must have known she was there. Makoto opened her laptop and spent the next couple of hours researching…and waiting.

Noon came and she closed her computer to have lunch. She unpacked her leftover grilled salmon and accidentally dropped her water bottle in the process. It rolled down all the way down until it stopped against the tank.

Makoto sighed. She considered herself a brave person. She wasn't afraid to walk down dark alleys alone, she would jump into shark infested waters without hesitation, and she loved psychological thrillers. But there was a reason Makoto wasn't allowed inside Halloween festivals anymore. She did not like jump scares. After punching a scare actor in a haunted house, Makoto was asked to leave- Andrew's irritation didn't help to make her feel any better.

She stood from her desk and hesitated from stepping forward to retrieve her water bottle. She looked at the large windows of the tank and didn't see it. She didn't spot the chain so it could have been hiding below where she couldn't see from her angle, or even behind some of the metal to her left. If she approached cautiously, maybe it wouldn't even make itself known.

"I really need to find the lights to this place, I wouldn't be half as anxious if I could see better," Makoto said to herself..

She got within a foot of the glass and slowly began to bend to pick up her bottle. She only took her eyes off the tank for half a second, but it was all it took for the merman to slam itself against the glass.

Makoto gave a short scream and punched blindly in front of her, making her lose her balance and fall as she was bent over. She sat on the floor cursing, annoyed and rubbing her knuckles trying to soothe the pain. It floated above her, not attacking repeatedly as it had done the day before, but staring- glaring- at her. Makoto tried to tell herself that it had every right to be angry, that she would do the same in its position, that she had no right to lash out, but the shooting pain in her hand overrode all pity.

"Dumb jerk!" she kicked the glass with her heel. "You scared me!"

At her aggression it sneered and threw its green tail forcefully against the glass making the tank vibrate loudly and Makoto give a slight flinch. She stood and glared back at him.

"This sucks. I know!" She yelled at it. It punched the glass in front of her face. "But it was either me or someone you don't ever want to meet, trust me." It threw its slightly scaly shoulder against the glass. "Will you stop it?!"

It didn't. It kept attacking the glass, repeatedly and almost always in the same spot. Maybe it thought if enough damage was inflicted, it could break the glass. It was a bad idea, Makoto thought. If the glass broke and all water escaped, he'd be left chained to the floor and would probably die.

Her anger was deflating at its frustration. She doubted it understood her and she wouldn't know what to say if it did. "I'm sorry," she said quietly looking at its chain.

It followed her eyes to the collar around its neck and its anger seemed to triple. It grabbed the chain and swam away, desperately trying to yank it off of its neck. It swam fast, faster than she thought possible. She would have tried to record its speed if she weren't so worried about it injuring itself. It was trying to break the chain by using enough momentum but it would only succeed in hurting its neck. Each time the chain reached its limit it would bring him to a dead stop, the force making the entire aquarium vibrate. Makoto began to worry it would end up snapping its own neck.

"Hey! Hey, stop! You'll hurt yourself!" She said slapping the glass with her uninjured hand. It repeated the process a total of four more times before it tired itself out and swam out of view. Makoto stood quietly for a while, waiting to see if it would come back out.

"Hey!" she yelled at the creature. "I'm gonna turn on the lights. You probably can't understand me…or hear me… but just in case I'm letting you know!" She walked practically the entire lab before she found the switches. She turned back to the tank and spotted it towards the back looking at her. She hadn't expected to see it and therefore hesitated before turning the lights on, but only for a second.

The lab was instantly filled with fluorescent light. Makoto blinked at the sudden brightness and noticed it took him a little longer to stop blinking. She wondered how long it had been in the dark for. The lab seemed less intimidating once she could see what was there. She noticed the ladder attached to the tank on the far right side. It led to a standing area above the tank where another desk sat. The creature followed her with its eyes until as she approached the ladder and began to climb, then it came closer.

She swallowed and finished climbing the last few rungs. Makoto turned around and found it no longer swimming but staring at her. She wondered if maybe its face just looked naturally angry and she was misinterpreting curiosity.

When she reached the top she noticed three things immediately. The first was that the space above the aquarium, the standing room was actually rather narrow. There was only space for a desk and a little walking room, obviously meant for observation purposes and not much else. Above her were broken light fixtures. They hung slightly askew and she made sure to give them as wide a berth as possible in the limited space.

The second was that the creature could not reach the surface because of the chain. She knew because she felt the catwalk vibrate underneath her when it reached the end of the chain again.

The last thing she noticed made her blood run cold for a moment. There were marks on the platform. Marks that looked suspiciously like bloody hands being dragged across the flooring. Had this been what happened to Poor Ted? Or Dear Frank? Makoto looked at the water and saw it swimming back and forth lazily, its entire focus on her. She felt like prey.

She walked the ramp trying to get a better gauge of the aquarium and was aware that its eyes stayed focused on her. The intensity of the stare made her confident this was an intelligent creature. She could practically read the murderous thoughts in its unnatural eyes.

As she walked she noticed a box on the far end of the aquarium. A light turned on just above it and a small door dropped open. Large, dead fish fell into the water with loud splashes interrupting the tense silence. Had Makoto blinked she would have missed the attack. The fish had barely touched the water when the creature attacked them fiercely. She had seen shark frenzies with less fervor. Its claws shredded the skin only slightly faster than it consumed them. Piranhas ate slower than this. She wondered if the camera could even catch how fast it was devouring the fish. It left only the bones.

Makoto came closer to the edge to get a better look, but didn't see there was a hole in the railing. Noticing her peering, the creature rushed at her. The jolt of its collar making everything shake beneath her and causing Makoto to lose her balance.

She gave a small shriek as she tried to hold on to the metal only to have it slip from her fingers. Makoto saw the world go upside down and saw the water coming at her at a terrifying speed. Just as she was going to crash into the water, her leg pulled her to a painful stop.

Makoto hung upside down panting in fear. She looked up and saw her jeans had gotten caught in a piece of twisted metal from the broken railing. She took a moment to thank God for the blessing. Her relief dissipated as if it were never there when she looked below her to spot the creature's clawed, webbed hands centimeters from her ponytail. It was straining its entire body to try and reach her. Terrified and vicious eyes met. Makoto's jaw dropped slightly as it bared its teeth, its incisors slightly pointier than what would be considered normal.

'_Get your ass up!'_ Makoto screamed at herself.

Without wasting a second more, she hauled herself painfully up, careful to not jostle her leg too much, fearing the jeans might rip and drop her. Her hands reach and tighten on the metal as tight as she can manage as she tried to swing her other leg up. All her weight was in the air and she feared that if her hands slipped it would destroy her before she was fully submerged. She wanted to scream but that would have taken energy away from holding on. She heard splashing and knew it was trying to distract her so she'd fall.

'_Focus, Makoto. Swing your leg up and ignore the death machine below you.'_

She gripped the catwalk with her secure leg and swung it up. Using all of her strength Makoto secured her leg hold on the railing and pulled herself to safety.

It took almost a full minute to pull herself back onto the platform and once she did, Makoto laid there panting, trying to catch her breath.

She looked down through the metal holes and saw the creature still staring up at her. Her fear fled and anger took over every inch of her body. She stood, determined and filled with fury and made her way down the ladder.

Once she was down on the ground again, Makoto took a deep breath and made her way to the glass.

She tried counting to ten, controlling her breathing, and reminding herself that anyone would be upset in its position. Unfortunately, none of it worked and she found herself stomping over to the glass and kicking it.

"What is wrong with you?!" she yelled at him. It stared back almost uninterested but there was something about its eyes that made it look satisfied, solidifying the theory that it was an intelligent creature and the realization pissed Makoto further off. "You think I _want _to be here?! You think I _asked _for this?!" She slapped the glass. "This is inhumane. I don't care if you're a man, a fish, or the Loch Ness Monster- this is wrong! But we don't have a ton of options here." She started to regain her composure and was going to explain Dr. Tomoe to him when it began to swim away and her anger rose to its peak once again. "Hey! Don't ignore me! Come back here!" She slapped and knocked on the glass. "Come back here! I'm not done talking to you! You hear me?! Ugh! Ass!" she kicked one last time for good measure before storming off.

Fine. If it was going to behave like a savage then she wouldn't be walking on eggshells anymore.

"Just do the job, Mako," she told herself. "Eventually they'll release it and you'll be able to go find a real job."

Nearing 5PM and Makoto's quitting time, she received an email back from Bancroft- to whom she had sent her list of supplies to- denying her any resources.

'_Sorry, Dr. Kino, but the department simply can't afford it. _

_I'm sure you'll figure something out.'_

Makoto quickly hit reply.

'_With all due respect, Ms. Bancroft, how am I supposed to generate results for you if you do not provide me with the tools necessary to conduct my research with? You have strong armed me into helping you the least you could do is arrange for me to be able to do my job._

_Respectfully, Dr. Kino'_

Send.

_Ding. _

The speed at which she received a reply worried Makoto.

'_I am currently out of the office. If you require immediate assistance contact customer service.' _

Of course.

So what was she supposed to do now? She couldn't go in the tank with it or even really go near it, so samples were out of the question. It was on an automatic feeder. It hid most of the time so she couldn't even _see _it. And now she was denied any tools that could allow her to do actual research.

What the hell was she even here for?

Makoto gritted her teeth and grunted as she blindly threw her pen in frustration. She slouched back in her chair and buried her face in her hands. She was a glorified babysitter.

This was the moment the merman decided to bang into the glass, making Makoto jump again. She looked sharply up and saw the merman staring at her with almost a pleased look on its face. Fed up with just about everyone and everything Makoto shot it the bird knowing it wouldn't know what the gesture meant but feeling satisfied with the action. The merman's expression didn't change but it swam back into the unseen, leaving her alone once more.

Makoto glanced at the clock and realized it was time to go home. Thanking God for the time, she picked up her purse and left without so much as a goodbye to the thing behind her. As soon as the metal doors closed behind her Makoto felt the building vibrate, repeatedly. It was having another tantrum. Makoto felt bad, but there wasn't much she could do at the moment.

She walked towards the elevator and noticed that the security guard that was posted there in the morning was gone for the day. She made a mental note to check their schedules and entered the elevator, an idea slowly forming in her mind.


	5. Chapter 4 - A Day in the Life

A single drop of red liquid trailed down glass, staining Makoto's hand as she pressed her lips to slurp enough to allow her to walk to her bathroom without spilling wine all over her carpet. She should have just drank straight from the bottle after the day she had, but she felt that would have been a bit excessive.

Throwing her clothes haphazardly on the floor and bringing her glass of wine, Makoto slipped into her rose scented bubble bath in a tub that was much too small to actually accommodate her, but she didn't care. Bending her knees and scooting as far down into the water as she could, Makoto put in her best effort to relax.

She could have died today and the thought made her take another big gulp of delicious wine. Had her jeans not caught on the rail, had they ripped, had the creature been able to reach just two more inches… she would be gone. She saw what it had done to those fish. Its movements almost blurred in speed.

How had it even been caught moving at that fast? Its claws were razor sharp, it could have easily ripped through any net. And the metal chain around its neck. She hadn't understood the reason for that before, it's not like it could just walk out of there. But if it managed to get out of the tank there was no telling what it could be capable of.

The scratch marks on the edges of the catwalk, had they been the merman's or its victim's? Makoto took another deep sip. Its volatile demeanor would certainly make what she had to do all the more difficult. She squeezed her eyes shut.

"Don't back out now, Kino. Just because the thing's an uptight, lethal jerkface doesn't mean you don't have a duty."

She finished her glass of wine and reached for her phone. Pausing before sliding her thumb against the screen, she stared at her wallpaper. A picture of Andrew and her stared back. She had taken the selfie in the kitchen the day they moved in to their apartment. He had been so excited that day, all 32 teeth on display with its arms around her shoulders.

Makoto had done a good job of ignoring the date all day. But now everything was calmer and her cheeks warm- from the bathwater of course, it's not like she had more than one glass of wine, one filled to the brim glass of wine on an empty stomach but still, it was just _one_. Makoto stared at the picture and felt her sadness creep in. It was never a good idea to mix wine with ex-fiances.

Sliding her thumb on the phone and touching the green square, Makoto heard ringing before she had registered what she was doing.

"Makoto?"

He used to call her Makoko, she thought longingly. The sound of its voice made her eyes well up. What did she do wrong? She had asked herself that question a thousand times. She had asked him that question once and its answer still haunted her.

"Makoto, are you there?"

"Y-yeah. Hi Drew."

"Did you need something?"

She needed him. She wanted him to move back in. She needed their life to go back to what it used to be.

"Happy Anniversary" she said quietly.

She heard him sigh.

"Makoto. We're not together anymore, it's not our anniversary. "

"I know, I know." She tried hiding the sniffles from the receiver.

"Then you need to stop calling me. This isn't helping you get over me. I'm with Reika now, you know this. What we had was nice while it lasted, but let's be serious. We had reached the peak of our relationship. You're not exactly wife material, Makoto." His words were a stab in her already damaged heart. Why had he proposed if she didn't she was wife material? At what point had that changed? "Your focus on your work overshadowed me and my needs. Maybe someday you'll change and make time for a man, like Reika makes time for me. You know she cooks me dinner every night?" Makoto's silent tears stopped at that statement.

"_I _cooked you dinner every night, Drew."

"Yeah, but your food was always so fancy. It's nice to just have a hamburger or a grilled cheese every once in a while."

_Grilled Cheese? For Dinner? What were they? Five?_

"You wanted someone to cook you _worse _food than me?"

"What? No. All I meant is that Reika's there for me. She listens to me. She doesn't bring her studies home with her." Makoto looked at the notebooks spilling out of her purse by her bed and felt guilty. "She and I are soulmates."

"Okay, Drew. Calling was a mistake."

"Just don't let it happen again." And he hung up.

Makoto took out the drain stopper and reached for her towel. Kicking her notebooks under the bed, she changed into pajamas and crawled under the covers. She really did try her best to not cry herself to sleep.

Streaks of gold reflected on the ocean below her, glittering waves crashing against the rocks and spraying her with gentle sea breeze. It was a new day and she was made of steel.

Makoto marched into the cement building, keycard in hand, purse shouldered, a new attitude shining in her eyes. She wasn't going to let Bancroft, that merman, or anyone else bully her any longer. She was Makoto Kino, she was made of steel, and she had work to do.

"Good morning, sunshine!" Makoto sang as she slammed open the metal doors. She marched directly over to the light switches, flashing fluorescent lighting almost violently over the empty lab. She blinked a few times and saw the creature front and center, squinting and baring its teeth.

"How's my little piranha doing today?" Makoto cooed as she threw her bag onto the desk. Its gills were opening and shutting at a faster pace. Was it panting? Maybe it didn't like the light. Makoto shrugged in indifference. "Get used to it, bub. I'm not sitting in the dark anymore."

In a flurry of bubbles the creature was gone, hiding away above as she could tell from the dangling chain. Out of pure curiosity- which she would immediately come to regret- Makoto got close enough to the glass to attempt an upwards glance to see where the merman hid. It slammed directly in front of her, making the glass vibrate and Makoto give a yelp. She didn't fall back that time but her heart was still beating out of her chest.

"Jerk." Makoto muttered with a glare and turned back to her desk.

Not given much to do, Makoto took out her notebook and wrote down everything she knew about the merman.

Angry.

Seems intelligent.

Knows how to hide.

Might not like light.

Blindingly fast - Note to self: Don't fall in.

Hands

Clawed

Webbed

Slight greenish tint to the hands.

Gills on its torso and on neck.

Muscular- extremely. Is it just doing push ups in there all day?

Long chestnut hair- Gorgeous hair. Belongs in an herbal essences commercial.

Blue eyes - Shockingly blue. Does it have pupils?

Human teeth- though incisors are slightly sharp-, nose, ears- though pointy.

What's the point of the nose?

The list went on.

After writing for an hour and running out of random facts to point out and sick of drawing doodles, she grabbed a clipboard to have a harder surface, attached a white sheet of paper, and tried to draw it.

She remembered the torso pretty well, not being able to rip her eyes away the first time she saw it, but was having difficulty on the tail. She was pretty sure it had some sort of tendrils on the sides, but wasn't sure where they began. She looked up at the tank, wondering if she should risk getting close again. She decided no when the merman hurled itself at the glass again making her jump hard enough to drop her clipboard.

It took a few days, but eventually Makoto stopped being surprised by the merman's aggression. She no longer flinched when it attacked the glass as she walked by or cringe when it fed. After a while it also grew bored with her and simply left her alone. Makoto found it easier to conduct her research with a calm environment but noted that it was a bit more boring when all it did was stare at her from a distance.

She tried to liven up the lab space with music, often singing loudly or even dancing. She was sure it couldn't hear the music through the glass so she didn't consider what it might enjoy, instead choosing a different playlist every day.

It was still too quiet in the lab so she found herself talking out loud. At first it was just to herself, but after a while she directed her speech to the tank. It never seemed to pay any attention, probably because it couldn't hear, but there was no one else around so she kept her one sided conversations as she worked.

"Good morning Nemo!" Every morning she would come in with a different name for the creature as she turned on the lights. "Hmm.. Not that one either. And it kind of makes me Darla…I don't really like that."

"Good morning Flipper! No, not Flipper. Flipper was _nice_!"

"Good morning Bruce! You know! Like the shark? The one from Jaws, not Finding Nemo. I already tried Nemo on you, and it just doesn't work. You're not orange."

It made the days shorter to have someone to talk to. It was fine that it couldn't hear her. That only meant that she could sing out of key as much as she wanted without shame.

"Don't stop! Believing! Hold on to the feeeeEeeEeeEling!"

The conversation had been light at first, talking about her favorite bands or how to perfect mosaic sushi, but it wasn't long before Makoto found herself talking about her problems.

"I mean it's not like I'm wife material anyway. I'm always down here with you, right? It's good that he has someone else. And I have… my research. Speaking of which, you could let me draw you sometime instead of running away every time I come near. It's rude."

Sometimes the one-sided conversation turned into her own little therapy sessions. She told it about Andrew and their breakup. About her parents' death and the orphanage. Working all through college and barely getting sleep to be able to afford the small apartment Andrew had abandoned her in. Even about her insecurities of working too much to hold a relationship and being too tall for a guy to be interested in her anyway.

"Do you know how tacky it looks to wear flats with your prom dress? I shouldn't have even bothered since Eddie ended up making out with Stacy Miller in our limo anyway. Maybe I'm just one of those girls that doesn't get the guy."

"I think I just carry all my failures with me wherever I go. I recognize it's a problem and I try to not let it get me down. It's just hard when you're all alone, you know? You probably do know. Being chained up and having no one but me as company."

She brought her lunch to work most of the time, never really liking what they had to serve in the mostly deserted cafeteria. But the plan forming in her head required her to pretend to belong. The gray painted brick walls of the cafeteria were covered in shift schedules for the month and pretending to be on Facebook made it easy to sneak a picture of the wall.

"You know, I gotta admit. Lunch is better with you. You still ignore me like everyone else does, but at least you don't look at me like I want to fight you. I don't know why people get so scared of me just because I'm tall. Tall doesn't equal violent, you know? I mean, yeah I've thrown a punch or two in my day, but those were all called for! I've never, in my life, punched anyone that didn't deserve it. So if I ever punch you," Makoto pointed her chopsticks at the merman staring back at her with a blank face, "know that you got what was coming to you."

Occasionally, she would try to continue her drawing of Ponyo- wait, wasn't Ponyo a girl?- if the creature stuck around in the open long enough. The merman's tantrums had decreased from every other hour to maybe just once or twice a day. One fateful afternoon, as Makoto jumped and danced all around the lab singing about having a bad reputation, the creature acknowledged her. It stared openly, arms crossed and eyebrows raised at the girl who thought no one was looking. And while that was mostly true, there was definitely a pair of eyes watching her every move. As she threw her head every which way, hair flying, and arms punching the air, it followed her every movement.

Makoto swung her head around, making her ponytail do a complete 360, and caught the merman staring. She froze slightly panting. This was unusual. It normally couldn't care less what she did. Was it curious? And more importantly, five seconds of eye contact had passed and it hadn't swam away. If she moved closer, would it go away?

Deciding to chance it, Makoto took slow but deliberate steps closer. It didn't move except to lower its eyebrows and adopt a blank expression. Passing her desk, and without looking, Makoto reached for the clipboard with the half drawn sketch she had done days before and held it to her chest. The creature uncrossed its arms as she came closer to stand in front of her. It was higher in the water than she was, forcing her to look up at it.

"Hey." She said knowing full well that even if it could hear her chances were it didn't understand human language, but it made her feel less awkward to say something.

Its mouth opened slightly, maybe in imitation of hers? She wanted to take the opportunity to draw it but that would mean looking away, and who could ever take their eyes off such a specimen?

Its shoulders were coated with viridian scales, accenting their broadness. Chocolate hair flowed all around it, long and wild, she wondered if the time spent underwater made it coarse or if it was as soft as it looked. The slits on its sides, its gills, opened and closed evenly. She thought, perhaps it was calm in this moment. The top of its ears had split in two- had they been that way before?

Makoto forgot about the clipboard in her hand and just tried to memorize everything about the merman. Though, it was hard to take in its body when its cobalt eyes had her so captivated.

"You're not so bad" she muttered. Its brow furrowed marginally, Makoto wished it could hear her. Damn glass.

Damn glass?

The glass!

Her eyes widened and a smile broke out wide across her face.

"I've got it!" She exclaimed throwing the clipboard on the ground.

The merman backed up a bit giving her a look that clearly expressed its thoughts of her sanity.

Makoto ran to the ladder and quickly made her way up to the platform. Thinking maybe if she were to speak to it from above the water's surface, where there was no glass blocking the sound, he would be able to hear her!

She approached the railing, pleased that it had followed her up. It floated below her, looking up curiously at what she was doing.

"Hey!" She shouted. "Can you hear me from up here?"

Receiving nothing but blank looks, Makoto tried to gesture her words. Pointing at it, '_you'_. Pointing at her ear, '_hear'_. Pointing at herself, '_me'_.

She couldn't contain her excited smile as its eyes followed her hands. But her elation was short lived as the creature rocketed towards her, reaching the end of the chain and making the catwalk tremble beneath her. She started for the first time in days and took a step back.

_CLANG_

She jumped about a foot in the air and turned around quickly to see an industrial light fixture broken behind her on the metal rails. Makoto kept calling maintenance about the faulty looking trusses but the workers kept giving her the run around. She knew they were just afraid of "_the monster"_, as she had heard the merman referred to as before. And now one truss had finally given out. The fright almost made her lose her footing and fall into the water but she grabbed the handrail faster than she had before.

'_I have got to stop standing over the opening,' _she thought. '_One of these days I'm going to fall in and it is going to tear me to shreds!'_

No sooner had these words crossed her mind when the second light fixture fell from the ceiling. Thankfully, it only grazed her head but the force was still enough to daze her. Makoto yelped at the contact. She felt her body swing and reached out to grab the railing. Unfortunately, in her dizziness she reached towards the opening and lost her balance. She was unconscious before she hit the water.


	6. Chapter 5 - Reassessing

Makoto woke up with a start when she felt her body impact something hard. She was coughing violently and was surprised that water was coming out. Her head hurt and she felt completely soaked to the bone.

What happened?

She opened her eyes, the light making her shut them again quickly. Her lungs burned, she wished she could stop coughing. More carefully this time, she reopened her eyes and saw metal. Poles. Railing, it was a railing. She was on the floor. At the edge of the catwalk. She scooted back quickly, afraid of falling in.

She felt something cut her hands as she moved backwards. Glass. There was glass everywhere and two light fixtures broken on the ground. The area around her was dim, she looked up and spotted the broken bar from where the lights had fallen. Makoto sat up, carefully around the glass, still coughing and holding her head where it throbbed. She pushed herself back away from the dangling bar above her and away from the edge, should she get dizzy and lose her balance.

Taking a couple of deep breaths to calm her hacking, Makoto tried to sort through what happened. The last thing she remembered was dancing. She could still hear her phone still playing music somewhere below, probably on her desk. How had she gotten up here?

The merman.

It had been calm. Allowed her to observe it. She thought she could try to communicate. That's why she was up here. But then…

The lights.

The lights must have finally given out. From the pain in her head, one must have hit her, or maybe she got scared, fell, hit her head and passed out. But that didn't explain why she was soaked.

Had the sprinklers gone off while she was out? She looked around the lab but nothing was on fire, smoking, or even wet. She squeezed her eyes shut as a wave of pain went through her head. She checked her hands for blood, but thankfully found none. She must have not broken the skin. Makoto waited until the dizzy spell had gone away and she carefully reached up to the handrail and pulled herself up.

She was completely drenched, dripping. Even her socks inside her tennis shoes were squishy with trapped water. Had she…had she actually fallen into the tank? She couldn't have! How would she have made it back out? Makoto looked around the lab but found it empty as before. Who could have pulled her out? More importantly, if she had fallen into the tank, how had the mermaid not ripped her apart?

Afraid of what she would see, Makoto turned her gaze into the water. She felt her heart stop at seeing the merman staring back at her.

600sq ft of gray walls should have felt more comforting when it was filled with your possessions, but no matter how much furniture she added Makoto's apartment always felt bare. Reaching into her purse, she pulled out her cellphone - her pocket had been too wet to store in safely.

Opening her apps, Makoto chose some quiet music to help relax her. Quiet strumming washed over her, allowing her to take a deep breath and settle the million questions buzzing in her head. Raising the volume to its maximum, she threw the phone on her bed and made her way to the bathroom. There was a slight trail of blood on her temple. Guess she _had _broken the skin after all. Makoto bent down to retrieve her first aid kid and cleaned out the wound.

Had it saved her? Why? Makoto asked herself 15 billion questions since she had slowly and carefully climbed down the ladder of the tank and every other one had been '_why?'_

Piecing whatever information she had, Makoto came to the conclusion that the light fixture had knocked her out and into the water where the merman must have been able to reach her and threw her back up onto the catwalk.

But why had it saved her? If she went missing it wouldn't have suffered for it. It was on an automatic feeder, Makoto contributed nothing to its well being. What made her different from Poor Ted or Dear Frank?

She placed a small butterfly bandage on her forehead and discarded her damp clothing. After a hot shower that loosened the knots in her shoulder that were created from overthinking, Makoto shut off her music and climbed into bed.

Opening instagram, the first thing she saw was an uber filtered picture of Andrew and Reika. He had digital glasses while she had cute kitten ears and a kitten nose. She looked so dainty next to him and his toothy smile was the same one that was on her wallpaper. Makoto locked her phone and threw it on the bed away from her. She didn't need to look at that. Making another quick decision, Makoto sat back up quickly and reached for her phone.

A picture of pink roses as a wallpaper seemed like a change in the right direction. She should stop depressing herself every time she had to check the time. She locked her phone again, feeling less upset, and lied down.

She had the next two days off. Two days to wrack her brain over why the creature hadn't torn her limb from limb. Two days to stake out B.O.R.R.O. for movement. Two days to figure out the kinks in her Set-The-Creature-Free Plan. It would be difficult without a doubt, but even if it truly was as dangerous as it seemed, it didn't deserve to be chained and imprisoned.

**Los Angeles Tribune **

May 8th, 2018

**Evil Doctor Placed Under Arrest**

Distinguished biologist Dr. Souichi Tomoe has been placed under arrest on Friday, May 7th for suspicion of torture, animal cruelty and human rights violations including cruel experimentation.

Dr. Tomoe had been accused of performing unethical and illegal experiments on different species in the past but had evaded charges on technicalities. Authorities arrested Dr. Tomoe on Friday after receiving calls from colleagues claiming to have heard a child's cries coming out of his laboratory. Hotaru Tomoe, Dr. Tomoe's 8 year old daughter, was found with a missing right arm and scarring on the stomach leading officials to believe the girl has had unnecessary surgeries. While Miss Tomoe is currently in hospital care and under the safety of foster parents, the same could not be said about dozens of animals found in the lab. Most animals needed to be put down for their rabid behavior- a direct cause of the torture inflicted on them- or poor health due to experimentation and neglect. Dr. Tomoe's bail has been set at 12 million dollars and is scheduled to face the court next on May 15th.


	7. Chapter 6 - A Horrible Mistake

Makoto walked into the lab Monday morning fully determined to complete her mission. She knew it was stupid. She knew it was suicidal. But, she also knew that she had survived her fall the past Friday and two days of overthinking had made her slightly reckless. The only explanation being that she had been thrown back up to the platform. He had saved her life. She hoped he wouldn't regret his decision and decide to rectify it today.

Makoto climbed the stairs up to the platform, every step thinking how bad of an idea this was. She reached the railing and looked into the water; she found him lying flat at the bottom staring back at her with bored eyes. Makoto took a deep breath and started to untie her shoes. The merman sat up quickly, fully alert of what she was doing. When Makoto started to take off her boots and socks he rose himself off the floor completely, staring intently with raised eyebrows and a slight smirk that Makoto couldn't see through the slight ripples.

"This is a terrible, horrible, idiotic idea, Makoto." She told herself. "Hurry up and do it."

She took a deep breath and lowered herself to a sitting position on the metal platform, a small handheld mouthpiece filled with enough oxygen to last her 10 minutes. Makoto slowly brought her legs over the edge and let her toes touch the water. The merman immediately took off, swimming so quickly towards her, she didn't see when he did so, only where he ended with a _thunk_ from the chain around his neck making everything vibrate underneath her. Makoto's hands flew to the railing to keep from falling in and pulled her knees to her chest quickly, wrapping an arm around them. He was less than three feet away, his eyes wide and his neck straining against the metal collar.

_This was such a bad idea!_

She almost retreated when she noticed his hands. They weren't reaching for her like he had the time she had almost fallen in. He had looked vicious then, bloodthirsty and vengeful. She wasn't sure how he appeared now, but hate was nowhere to be seen in his face or body language. There might have been a bit of curiosity, Makoto realized startlingly.

With another deep breath and closing her eyes, Makoto let go of her legs, placed the microtank inside her mouth, and let herself slip into the water.

The water was not exactly warm, but she had assumed it would be colder and was comfortable with it after the initial shock. She took two breaths of filtered air and held the tank in her hand to not waste the air before she dared to open her eyes- if death was coming she didn't want to look at it. But when the two breaths passed by without incident Makoto peeked one eye and then the other. The merman floated less than a foot from her now, completely still.

Makoto was entranced in his eyes. He was beautiful. Needing another breath she tried to raise the microtank to her lips. His expression changed at the movement. His hand closed over her arm. His brows furrowed, predatory eyes intense on her.

Makoto knew in that moment she had committed the worst- and last- mistake of her life. Before she could make a conscious decision, she stuck the microtank back into her mouth and she swam up. Her legs kicked quickly to reach the platform just a foot above her, praying she would make it before her reached her. Her hand was almost to the metal when she felt something wrap around her ankle and yank her back down. She looked down and saw his webbed hand pulling her down. Makoto kicked at his face, loosening his grip and allowing her to slip away. This time, however, she did not reach the surface before his tail wrapped itself around her. Frightened, Makoto screamed unthinkingly, letting the microtank fall from her lips. She reached desperately for it but the merman was pulling her towards him and away from the only thing keeping her from drowning.

She turned and punched at the tail around her waist. It didn't budge. He pulled her down so that her face was level with his. The coloring around the edges of his face were actually tiny scales. If Makoto weren't so scared she would have still been intimidated by his beauty. As it was, survival mode had kicked in and she threw a punch at this face. The water slowed her momentum, but it didn't restrict him like it did her and he was able to block her blow with his arm. His tail loosened and Makoto thought he was letting her go, she let out another scream when she realized he only loosened his tail in order to trap her arms to her body as well. Makoto thrashed and tried to kick him but none of it had any effect on him. He was going to drown her for daring to enter the small amount of territory he had. Why had he saved her before? Because she was unconscious? _It didn't make sense. _

He brought her closer and Makoto's racing heart dropped to her stomach. He was going to eat her. She thrashed harder, but he held her relatively still. He reached for her head to keep it straight- his hands were warm- and he leaned forward. This was it. He was going to eat her and she had served herself on a silver platter. Makoto closed her eyes and waited for the pain.

What happened next made Makoto's eyes burst wide open in shock. He kissed her. And not just a peck, oh no. The merman gave Makoto a swoonworthy kiss. His full lips pressed against hers gently at first, slowly increasing its intentions. His tongue poked and asked for permission- permission she almost gave out of pure shock but managed to keep her lips tightly sealed. One of the hands holding her face in place cupped her jaw and squeezed, forcing her mouth open. His tongue slid in and she felt it go practically to the back of her throat. But it didn't last long- a fact that Makoto had to tell herself was a good thing. She was in too much shock to process what just happened. She was not in enough shock although to realize that the merman had not completely released her, just stopped kissing her senseless.

She was almost out of air. What _was _that? A kiss goodbye? The merman was sadistic to do a thing like that. Her lungs were burning. She kicked out again and actually landed a solid _thwack_ against his bum that made him wince, but not release his hold. She looked at him pleadingly. He stared back with almost a lazy smirk. Just watching her drown and enjoying it.

Pretty soon her lungs would give out and reflexively suck in all the water that would end her life. She had seconds left. She had to do something but she was powerless.

_Scream for help, Mako! Even if no one hears you, you can't go down without a fight!_

"HELP!" Makoto stilled and gasped with shock at her shriek. The yell should have been garbled because of the water, but it came out crystal clear, as if surrounded by air. Then she realized… she had just gasped. Underwater. Carefully, she took another breath and found her lungs fill with glorious air and not water.

She looked at the merman who was now smirking openly. His tail unwound itself from her, allowing Makoto to float freely where she was.

"This is unreal. I can breathe. Underwater. I'm breathing underwater. How is this possible? Did you do this? How? This is freaking _awesome!_"

"It gets old after a while, trust me."

Makoto's jaw dropped. The merman could speak.


	8. Chapter 7 - An Encounter

Out of all the things she had expected coming into the tank- death being the worst case scenario and apprehensive behavior being the best- Makoto had not expected to be holding a normal conversation with the merman. Underwater. She was breathing and speaking clearly with a creature who could apparently understand her and speak back to her.

Wait. He could speak to her. That thought stopped her short of reveling in what was happening. Without warning Makoto rose her fist and smashed it into the merman's nose. She did marvel at how little resistance she felt through the water while he clutched his face and groaned.

"Ow! Damn it! What was that for?!" He screamed.

"What is _wrong _with you?!" Makoto yelled back indignantly forgetting about the physical properties of the water.

"I helped you and this is the thanks I get?!" He demanded.

"Helped me?! You can talk, dumbass! You could have just told me instead of making me think you were going to drown me!"

"You were gonna run away!" He yelled, spreading his arms out, gesturing.

"Because you were attacking me!" Makoto accused.

"I wasn't attacking you! I just didn't think you'd trust me enough to do what I needed to do."

"And the way to get me to trust you is to hold me down and force yourself on me?" Her words shocked him silent.

The merman stopped rubbing his face and looked at Makoto mouth gaping slightly. "I- I didn't mean-"

"It doesn't matter what you meant." Makoto cut him off. "It was wrong."

His hands dropped from his face and a bit of blood coated the water around him. He looked ashamed of himself and it made the blood in Makoto's veins go from boiling to a simmer.

"I'm truly sorry." He said solemnly and did not offer any more excuses. He backed away from her, giving her space and stayed still.

The simmering went down to just hot and Makoto unclenched her fists. If his intentions had been nefarious, there wouldn't have been anything she could do against him and clearly he was staying away from her now. As wrong as it was, Makoto was a firm believer in second chances having needed them many times in the past herself. Taking a deep breath she tried but failed to not bite out, "Just don't do it again."

The merman nodded again still looking ashamed. Makoto noticed his features freeze, as if he realized something and with a smile that made her squint her eyes at him he said, "I promise, I will never kiss you again...until you ask me."

Makoto rolled her eyes. "Don't hold your breath."

He muttered something that sounded like, '_you might want to hold yours'_ before coming to a sitting position at the bottom of the tank.

"So." He began to get her attention back from looking around the aquarium. "Why'd you do it?"

"I told you, I punched you because-"

"No! Not- not that. Why'd you come in? I mean you must have heard about the fat heads who tried to come in here. Didn't end so well for them. Why'd you risk it?"

_Fat heads? _ "Oh. I-uh.. well, the last time I fell in… you saved me. Right? Why'd you do that anyway?"

"Don't think you're special. I just didn't want a dead body in here."

Makoto bristled. "Yeah?! You could have just thrown the dead body out."

"Didn't think of it. That's a good idea." He rose from the floor to hover above her with a smirk.

Makoto frowned and furled her fists. The merman spied her hands and gave a chuckle.

"Whoa, doc." He said putting his hands up in surrender. "I'm just joking. Put those weapons away. I like my nose where it is."

Makoto rolled her eyes. "You're not funny."

"I'm a little funny."

Makoto stares at him trying not to smile but looked away when she thought she was about to do so anyway.

"This is surreal. I'm breathing underwater, talking to a merman."

"Like I said, it gets old." He looked away, bored.

"Well, this is all new for me and I have about a billion questions. I should have brought my GoPro..." She trailed off as she studied the way his scales looked up close. The merman twitched under her scrutiny.

"What makes you think I'm gonna answer any of your questions?." He said in order to distract her. "Not exactly being held here of my own free will, you know." His words should have been rough, and while they did strike Makoto's heart, he said them with a smirk to his lips that let her know he was only playing with her again.

"Yeah, I know. I'm working on that." Makoto was a good swimmer, but she had never been underwater for so long without a tank to hold her in place. She kicked and waved her arms awkwardly to stay in place. "I'm going to get you out of here." She promised distractedly. She stopped flailing when she glanced up and saw the look on his face. It broke her heart. It was evident he had given up hope of being set free. The chain around his neck was a grisly sight and Makoto wished she could break it with her own two hands.

A flash of anger crossed his eyes. "This situation sucks as it is, so do me a favor, doc. Don't lie to me."

"On Friday." She insisted. "8PM."

He stared at her. "What are you talking about?" He asked cautiously.

"I spent the whole weekend watching the facility. There's not a lot of movement during the weekend, or ever really. Guards are gone by 5PM. Bancroft's email says she comes back on Friday, so I can swipe her key then. That chain requires a special kind of key, similar to a USB. Last time she was here I noticed her keychain had a small black device that looked suspiciously similar to the shape needed to get that thing off of you. If I'm wrong, we'll be back at square one. But, if I'm right, then the security is slim to none after everyone goes home for the weekend. No one will even notice you're gone until Monday. _If _then, because the only person that checks in on you is me."

The merman stared at her with a frown marring his face. And he did have a nice face. The blue stripes on his cheeks made him look otherworldly, but other than that, he looked like a regular guy. An incredibly hot guy, that is. Makoto tried to control the blush that was threatening to cover her cheeks by continuing to explain the escape.

"I saw a flatbed pushcart in one of the janitorial closets. That'll work for transportation. And getting you out of the tank shouldn't be a problem since you can communicate… and aren't trying to eat me."

"Why?" He finally asked, interrupting her rambling.

"What do you mean '_why'_? This is wrong. I'm not doing this out of my own free will, you know? She threatened to have you tortured if I refused to help her. Bancroft. The red haired lady."

"I know who she is," he said without inflection.

"She made sure I couldn't refuse her. But that doesn't mean I'm going to lie back and let her keep someone prisoner. I was never going to _not _do something."

"You keep plenty of other animals here prisoner."

"They're not being held prisoner! B.O.R.R.O helps animals! This is a recovery center. Whenever there's an oil spill or a boating accident or even poaching, they do their best to rehabilitate those animals and make sure they are capable of surviving in the wild again. _This,_" she gestured to his chain, "is not what they do! They don't keep animals in captivity. They don't keep _people _prisoner. That's not what I signed up for. That's not what anyone signed up for."

"Maybe _you _didn't, doc. But I can assure you," his voice lowered as he spoke through clenched teeth, "plenty of people did."

There was anger in his blue eyes and not for the first time Makoto wondered exactly what he had been through before she was brought in.

"What's your name?" She asked after a bit of silence.

He hesitated. "Nephrite."

"Nephrite?" She said with a quirked eyebrow. "What kind of a name is that?"

That managed to get the somber look off his face. Looking half amused and half offended, Nephrite crossed his arms.

"It's a gem stone! It means changing negative energy into positive energy!"

"Is that why you seem kind of bipolar?"

"Give me a break, doc. This is the first semi non-hostile conversation I've had in a month."

"A month?! How long have you been down here?"

Nephrite shrugged looking away. "What about you?" He changed the subject.

"What about me?"

"You got a name? I like 'doc' but..."

"It's Makoto. Makoto Kino."

"Japanese?"

"My parents were, yeah."

"Were?"

Makoto kept her face blank the way she didn't whenever her parents were brought up. She didn't like to show weakness, to anyone.

"They died in a plane crash when I was 10."

"I'm sorry." Makoto thought he did look sorry, but she shrugged it off not wanting anyone's pity.

"What about your parents?" She wasn't sure if she was being subtle enough, but she wanted to learn as much about him before she set him free.

He caught on. "Come on, _doc,_" he said with emphasis on her new nickname. "Don't get all scientific on me now." He seemed to be joking still with her, but there was a hard edge hidden in his tone which Makoto noticed...and then completely ignored.

"You come on! Put yourself in my shoes! People have debated your existence for centuries and here you are! Floating in front of me. Talking to me. And me! Breathing underwater! How did you do that anyway? Was that because of the kiss? How does that work?" She kicked her legs in her excitement to get closer to him, eyes focused on his mouth.

Nephrite backed up slightly, the friendly smile completely gone now.

"I'm just a lab rat to you, aren't I?"

"What? No, that's not what I meant," is what Makoto tried to say before Nephrite cut her off.

"Does everything have to be about science? Why not just enjoy the magic?"

"But there is so much I need to understand!" He was taking it all wrong, she needed to explain.

"And what will that do? Understanding how it works, will it make it more possible than seeing it for yourself?"

"It'll open up possibilities! The advances we could make with the knowledge! Do you know how many cures have come from just understanding how organisms work?"

"A cure?" Nephrite exclaimed, starting to get upset.

"Well sure! The medical field alone-"

"You think I need a cure?" Nephrite interrupted, no longer trying to hide his anger. "You think this is a disease?"

"Nephrite, that's not-"

"You know what? I've enough for one day. Get out of my tank."

Nephrite grabbed her waist and swam quickly towards the surface.

"Wait! Nephrite! Don't-" but it was too late. He had propelled her out of the water. Makoto landed in a sitting position on the platform. It hadn't hurt, not physically anyway. She understood that her choice of wording had been poor. She thought about throwing herself back in, but judging from how quickly he got rid of her and how he swam to the other extreme of the tank, she didn't think he'd be as kind as he had been up till then. She also understood he needed time to himself.

She wished she could get that collar off of him. It was dehumanizing- even if he wasn't exactly human.

"I'm sorry." Makoto said before standing up and gathering her things to go home.


	9. Chapter 8 - Trying Again

Slamming the door to her apartment behind her, Makoto threw her purse on the floor without caring much for its contents.

He had some nerve! Kicking her out like, like - like she was some stray cat that had wandered into his area.

Marching straight into the bathroom she ripped off her soaked clothing and threw them over the shower curtain railing to dry. She shoved her legs into some sweats and thrust her arms through an old t-shirt. She stomped over to the kitchen and threw open the fridge door, looking for the magic ingredients to calm the world.

"Eggs and butter." She muttered to herself before slamming the fridge door and opening a cabinet above her. "Flour, sugar, brown sugar, and baking soda." She slammed that door as well, satisfied with the louder clap of wood on wood, and moved on to a different drawer where she pulled out a small vial. She opened the vial and took a light sniff. "Mmm. Vanilla." The smell of it already calming her nerves.

Before continuing, she walked back to the entrance of her apartment and dug in her discarded purse for her phone. Finding it and giving her purse a small kick, Makoto tapped on the screen determinedly.

Slide. Spotify. Your library. Playlists. Fight the Patriarchy. Shuffle Play.

Electric guitar filled the room instantly followed by a quick pause before drums, piano, and bass all joined in loud enough to drown out her guilty thoughts and her neighbor's banging to turn it down.

"_Somehow everything's going to fall right into place. _

_If we only had a way to make it all fall faster everyday._"

Makoto sang at the top of her lungs pretending she had bright orange hair like Paramore's Haley Williams as she violently cracked two eggs into a bowl.

Makoto didn't bother measuring how much butter was needed. "No such thing as too much butter." She muttered. "No such thing as magic either! Things have explanations. It's not a crazy thing to want to understand something." She ranted quietly to herself as she harshly beat the eggs and butter.

Insulting a mythical creature during your first conversation with him was not advice she would give to anyone. How could she be so stupid? She knew she should have waited before playing 20 billion questions with him! Why couldn't she just _wait_?

There was no way to make it up to him, not until Friday when she stole the key from Bancroft. An apology would have to do. Makoto didn't want to think that she could throw the forced kiss back in his face if he refused to give her a second chance. That's not how forgiveness worked anyway.

Turning on her mixer, the baker slowly added the rest of her ingredients.

That kiss though…

Yes, she had been scared that he was going to eat her. Yes, she had been angry enough to wipe the tank with him. But, standing in her kitchen screaming "_Hallelujah_" into her butter and sugar, Makoto had to admit, that kiss would have left her breathless had it not done the opposite.

Makoto shook her head and switched the mixer off with more force than necessary.

"Stop thinking stupid things, Mako. He's a _fish_."

Was that offensive of her to think? He wasn't exactly a fish was he? She had so many questions but that path had already caused her enough problems.

The song ended as she was folding in chocolate bits and switched to an electric sounding violin with a livelier beat that made Makoto's spoon throw some cookie dough around as she danced.

"_Been through some bad shit, I should be a sad bitch. Who woulda thought it'd turn me to a savage?_" Makoto sang as she put the baking trays into the oven.

After cleaning her mess, Makoto hopped up to the counter as Joan Jett started to scream that she didn't give a damn about her reputation. She grabbed her phone and lowered the music to a reasonable level.

"Okay, Mako." She told herself. "Tomorrow you are going to jump into that tank whether he wants you to or not. You are going to apologize and not leave that tank until you explain you didn't mean to insult him. Then you are going to promise not to ask any more questions and actually stick to it!"

After a deep breath, Makoto nodded agreeing with herself that this was a good plan.

Unlocking her phone and seeing an Instagram notification, she opened it up and saw it was just a request from a spam page. After declining, she instantly regretted hitting the home button when the first post that popped up was an overfiltered picture of Andrew and Rita staring into each others eyes with the caption "#_couplegoals_". Makoto rolled her eyes at their clicheness and checked her schedule. The next couple of days were half-days. No one was scheduled to take over when she left, though that didn't surprise her. Nephrite didn't require much work.

She locked her phone and got off the counter to take the cookies out of the oven.

After letting them cool for a few minutes, she took a bite out of one and decided that cookies made out of happiness were infinitely better than guilt-filled anger cookies. She threw them out and made her way to the bathroom. She was going to go to bed and prepare to suck up to a not-so-mythical creature in the morning.

Wow. Her life had gotten weird.

Makoto couldn't deny herself the pleasure of watching the ocean as the sun rose behind her and seeing the first ray of light reflect on the water. However, as soon as the day had fully dawned she ran into the building. She couldn't help it! She'd restrained herself from jumping back in when Nephrite had flung her out but who wouldn't be excited to dive head first back into that tank after what she experienced the day before.

She tried not running through the facilities or rushing through the security measures in order to not raise suspicions, but she still got a few odd looks for her jitteriness.

"Too much coffee," she tried to excuse occasionally.

Makoto wrenched the metal doors open and turned on the lights as quickly as she could. It seems Nephrite had been expecting her this morning, waiting in full view with arms crossed.

"Hi." She said quietly, momentarily shy, as she waved her fingers once.

Nephrite tilted his head slightly.

_Duh! _He couldn't hear her! Makoto snapped out of her shyness and approached quickly, dumping the duffel bag on her desk. She gestured towards the ladder and held out her palm in the universal sign for '_wait.' _

Makoto quickly rushed up the ladder and started to take her boots off. She was in too much of a rush and lost her balance a couple of times, having to hold on the rail lest she fall in fully clothed. She set her boots, socks, khaki shorts, and white button down aside, safe from being knocked into the water. She patted herself mentally on the back for thinking of wearing a one piece bathing suit this time. Without taking a deep breath- because why would she need to?- Makoto quickly jumped into the water…

…and burst out two seconds later, spluttering, coughing, and gasping for air.

"_What the hell?!_" She exclaimed, trying to catch her breath. She couldn't breathe underwater anymore. What had happened? She looked below the water and saw Nephrite bent over with an arm wrapped around his stomach and a hand covering his mouth, clearly laughing hysterically.

That's when Makoto realized. Nephrite had never said anything about the abilities extending to the following day. Did it only last a day? As long as she didn't exit the water? Did he have special control over it?

Makoto looked past Nephrite's laughing form and spotted the microtank she dropped the day before. Making sure to take a deep breathe this time, she sank back under and swam to the small device. She made sure to glare at him on her way down.

"Don't look at me like that." He said, getting his chortling under control. "You're the one that assumed it lasted past your exiting the water." Well, that answered that. Makoto wanted to yell at him, but she knew only bubbles would come out so she focused on getting to her tank.

Reaching it, she took a small breath- there wasn't much left in the tank- and turned back to the merman swimming above her. After a few moments she waved her hands in a '_well?!_' manner.

"Oh, did you want me to kiss you again?"

Makoto shook her head as if to say, '_duh!'_

"Ah, but see there's a problem."

Her brows furrowed in confusion. She took another small breath.

"I promised I wouldn't kiss you again unless you asked me." His smile was so smug her eyes narrowed.

He had planned this out. Makoto's temper hit its boiling point, she took out the small scuba tank, after inhaling the last bit of oxygen left, and threw it at Nephrite. The tank didn't go far and slowly drifted to the bottom of the tank. And though most of it came out as bubbled gibberish, Makoto began to yell.

"You jerk! You knew this would happen! How am I supposed to ask you when you can't even understand me because of all of these bubbles?! I'm gonna run out of air soon! If I'm helping you –"

"Alright! Doc! Alright!" Nephrite laughed. "No need to snap your cap."

Snap her what? Makoto crossed her arms, fully aware that if she didn't breathe soon she was going to pass out.

Nephrite came closer, his smile no longer so amused. There was something in his eyes and Makoto found that she couldn't hold his gaze.

"Would you like me to kiss you?" He asked just inches from her.

She wasn't sure why she hesitated- she suspected it had to do something with the way his broad shoulders covered her view of just about everything except his electric blue eyes, though she was not about to explore _that_ thought-but she eventually gave him a slow nod.

Careful to not touch anything but their lips, Nephrite leaned forward and kissed the human girl in front of him. Even though neither closed their eyes, the moment wasn't awkward. Somehow maintaining their eye contact made the kiss all the more intimate.

His eyes were half lidded, watching her with an expression she couldn't fathom. She wasn't sure what she looked like- shy probably if her racing heart was anything to go by. Like the day before, Nephrite's tongue poked at her lips, asking for passage. _Unlike_ the day before, Makoto obliged.

She couldn't look at him then and closed her eyes. Nephrite didn't take long, not that she was disappointed or anything!

"Better?" he asked a little hoarsely as he backed away.

.

"Uh, yeah. Thanks." Makoto said after taking a deep breath. She was looking anywhere but at him and flailing her hands a little to stay in place.

"Good." He said. Nephrite cleared his throat and adopted a more relaxed pose. "So, you here to insult me some more?"

"I wasn't trying to - if you would have just- what I _meant-_" Makoto kept trying to explain as she kicked her legs to not float up but realized in all her obsessing in making things right she never gave thought to what exactly she would say. Thankfully, Nephrite felt bad for her.

"Relax, doc. I may have overreacted yesterday. Being chained up tends to make one a bit short tempered."

Makoto took a deep breath, finally relieved that he wasn't upset with her anymore. She naturally floated up a bit and had to double her efforts to stay submerged in the middle of the tank. "I really didn't mean to insult you. When I said '_cure'_ I meant it in a generalized form, and not for you but for others. You're completely new and I got over excited about the possibilities. I just wanted to understand you, that's all."

"What if I can't answer your questions?"

"Can't or won't?" Makoto asked cautiously.

"Does it matter?" He asked with a blank expression.

"I guess not," Makoto said knowing full well that '_won't'_ made a huge difference in her mind.

Nephrite regarded her a moment before answering.

"I can't. There are reasons for why we are a myth to you. I can't endanger my people or our home."

Putting aside the fact that there were more like him out there, Makoto protested "I would never-" before he cut her off.

"I know you wouldn't. But it's not my decision to make." Nephrite tried making her understand. "I serve someone higher who has forbidden me from divulging information. It's a decision I would have made without the order."

There was so much information given even in the little he had spoken. There were more out there, someone gave them orders, and Nephrite clearly respected them. She had gotten a better hold of staying submerged but feared her arms would get tired soon. She kept her flailing to a minimum in order to reserve energy.

"Can I ask how you got here?"

Nephrite's brow furrowed. Whatever the story was, it clearly bothered him to think about. Not wanting to upset him again, Makoto quickly retracted her question.

"You don't have to tell me. Forget I asked. I know I can be nosy."

Nephrite's face softened and he came closer with hands extended to stop her worrying. "No. No, it's okay. I can talk about that. It's just not a happy story. I mean clearly." He finished by raising his chain a bit.

Makoto's energy started to dwindle and she floated up higher without meaning to, but had no energy to go back down. "I'd like to hear it, if you don't mind." She said anyway.

Nephrite kept quiet looking at his chain for a few breaths. Makoto kept quiet letting him deliver and tried to swim back down. In her focusing she didn't see Nephrite reach for her. She did, however, feel it when he grabbed her hand.

Her eyes went wide at his touch. She looked at him, expecting to see a mischievous smile but instead saw haunted eyes. Makoto stopped kicking and let him drag her down.

"How is it I was able to punch you yesterday with no problem, I can breathe and talk too, but I can't stop from floating up?" She asked frustrated but also slightly flustered.

"You're new to this." He answered. "You might be a strong swimmer, but it's not second nature to you. Breathing and speaking, those are things you don't need to think about."

"And the punch?"

"I guess you didn't have to think about that one either." His smile was amused but he refused to look into her eyes. They really had gotten off on the wrong foot, hadn't they? Makoto shook the thought from her head and allowed his tail to cover her feet when they reached the bottom, in order to keep her in place.

"So. How'd they catch you?"

"They weren't trying to catch me."

"They were trying to kill you?!" Makoto gasped, alarmed.

"Not me."

"Someone else?"

He nodded.

"Who were they trying to kill? And why?"

"Someone Bancroft hates. It was her that issued the order. But I was near, and I was able to intervene. Unfortunately, I didn't manage to get out in time. Bancroft decided capturing me was a decent consolation prize. The tranq hit me before I knew they aimed and I woke up here. With this." He shook the chain slightly.

"And the other one?" Makoto asked.

"I think she got away. Bancroft would have gloated a lot more if she hadn't."

"She." Makoto didn't realize she spoke aloud.

Nephrite nodded.

"Your wife, I imagine?"

He looked at her confused.

"The one Bancroft was trying to kill." She clarified. "I'm guessing that's your wife?"

"Now why would you assume _that_?" Nephrite's smirk made Makoto blush.

"Well, uh. Because. You look all sad and wistful and well, why else would you throw yourself in front of another woman for?" She got defensive in her embarrassment.

"Could be my sister. Maybe my mother? Ever think of that?"

No. She hadn't. Her brain had gone straight to jealousy and as usual Makoto had stuck her foot deep into her mouth.

"Oh. Right. Was it a family member?"

"No."

Makoto shot him an irritated glare and looked away sharply. Why would he even- Ugh! He could be so frustrating. Still… Makoto couldn't deny the disappointment she felt.

"...but, she is _like_ a sister to me." Nephrite finally admitted.

Makoto's head shot up and she wanted to push him at the amused look on his face. He looked like he was ready to burst out laughing at her.

"You're not as funny as you think." She told him.

"Hasn't stopped you from smiling."

"Am not."

"Right, that's just involuntary muscle movement."

"Whatever!" Makoto turned her face away to laugh. "Is there anything else you _can_ tell me?"

Nephrite contemplated this for a moment, looking at his clawed and webbed hands, almost inspecting them- a movement that Makoto found rather odd. He opened and closed them as if testing their dexterity. It looked as if he hadn't really seen his hands before, and if she were being honest, they had looked less green the day before.

"I miss my family," he said quietly while crossing his arms.

Makoto's heart broke at the longing in his voice. He had a family. One that was probably searching for him, doubtlessly worrying about him. What would she give to know her family was out there somewhere?

"Are you crying?" His voice broke her out of her reverie.

"How can I possibly be crying underwater?" Makoto said, but was shocked to hear her voice crack right from the very beginning.

She touched her face and felt tears. How could she feel tears while submerged in saltwater?

"How?" she marveled.

"Why are you crying?" He asked ignoring her question.

"I'm just so frustrated that you're chained up. That I can't help more. That you're alone." The tears wouldn't stop. "How is this even possible? For something to be wet underwater?"

Nephrite stared at her with an odd expression. He opened and closed his mouth twice before speaking.

"It's part of the package," he shrugged. Makoto sniffled and he came closer. "You've got a plan to get me out. You're helping me the best you can. And you're not letting me be alone anymore." Careful to not expose her to his claw, Nephrite wiped a tear from her cheek using his knuckle. "So, no more crying," he finished quietly.

Makoto's tears stopped at his touch. His touch was as warm as his eyes. His proximity and the silence were unnerving her and she backed away.

He noticed her uneasiness and quickly threw his hands behind his head, determined to lighten the mood.

"Enough about me, doc. What about you?"

"Me?" Makoto asked surprised by the change in subject.

"How'd you get stuck working for the evil queen?"

Makoto caught by surprise with the nickname couldn't help the snort that came out of her. She quickly covered her mouth and nose in embarrassment. Nephrite's eyes widened and his mouth slowly opened in a wide smile.

"You're a snorter!" Pure joy shined through his eyes.

"No, I'm not!" She denied shutting her eyes and shaking her head.

Nephrite grabbed her wrists and tried pulling them from her face, all the while laughing. Makoto held fast and tried not to laugh. His pulling turned into pulling her whole body through the water by the wrists. Makoto tried not laughing but she couldn't help it. His face was intense and excited. He was racing through the water with her being pulled along and she snorted again.

Nephrite guffawed and the laugh was so infectious that she couldn't help it. Her arms went weak and Makoto began laughing without restraint, snorting every couple of seconds. After a while, Nephrite's laughter grew with every snort until it made him slow down as well and the two floated in the middle of the tank, cracking up over absolutely nothing.

Catching their breaths took a while but they eventually calmed to just smiling at each other.

"I like your laugh." Nephrite said a little out of breath.

"You'd be the first." Makoto said, smile dropping slightly.

"Then all the rest were idiots." The way he said it, with such certainty, made Makoto fading smile brighten. She felt warm. Accepted. She looked down at where his hands were still holding her wrists lightly and it must have made him self aware because he quickly let go and cleared his throat. "So, uh.. The job. How'd you get it?"

Makoto shrugged. "I applied everywhere, but these days people don't want you if your PhD isn't from an ivy league school. Oh! Sorry. Ivy league schools are these fancy schools on the east coast. They're nice for sure, but an orphan girl has like no chance of making it there. Ms. Bancroft saw my resume and thought I was a good pick. That was about two weeks ago. I'm kind of starting to wonder now if she didn't pick me _because_ I'm an orphan." Makoto had told her story to her hands, to the glass, to the chain floating between them, to anything but the merman in front of her.

_Wow. I sound depressing. I can't even imagine what he would have thought if he could have heard me venting before!_ Makoto thought back on her first days with Nephrite and all that she had revealed about her personal life, thanking God for the soundproofing of the tank. I_f he had heard me going on and on about Andrew! He would think I'm pathetic!_

"What would being an orphan have to do with it?" Nephrite asked.

Makoto looked up into his eyes, which were bewildered. She felt almost guilty at having to explain.

"Well.. no one would miss me if I were to disappear."

"Because of my bum rap and what happened to the other workers." Nephrite stated what she had tried to not voice.

"The first guy I'll take responsibility for. I had just woken up with this around my neck," he pointed to the metal collar, "and he was the one with the key. I tried getting it back from him, things got heated, and I may have broken his leg."

"And the Frank?" She prompted.

"The second guy? That was all him. Dumbass was fixing the lights and electrocuted himself. Not enough voltage to kill him, but it sure knocked him out for a while. Workers panicked when they thought I was going to eat him. But I just threw him out. A little more forcefully than I should have, but whatever."

"Wow. Bancroft made it seem like you devoured them. Probably just didn't want a lawsuit on her hands if I fell in. How was she to guess I would jump in." Makoto laughed, trying to bring levity into the conversation.

Nephrite's tailed moved smoothly through the water, pushing him to stand directly in front of her. The coloring of the scales around his face were beautiful, almost metallic in color. She felt awkward at the proximity and soon realized she was losing her concentration on swimming again and started to lose her coordination. Nephrite grabbed a hand lightly to stop her floating away. He gave her an easy smile that made Makoto's heart skip a beat.

"I'm glad you did." .

"Huh?" She said dumbly. He was too close, his clawed hand too gentle, and she couldn't understand his meaning.

"I'm glad you ignored sense and dove in here. I'm glad to have met you." Nephrite explained calmly noticing her distress. He was treating her like a frightened animal and she couldn't deny that that was exactly how she felt.

"You only say that because I'm gonna break you out of here." Makoto half joked, half reminded herself out loud that he could be keeping her alive because there was something in it for him.

Nephrite stared quietly for a few moments before releasing her hand.

"Right." He said looking away from her.

Makoto started to float up, but she didn't stop herself.

"I'm only scheduled for a half day today. But I'll be back tomorrow." She said, unsure of why their relatively nice day had turned awkward.

Nephrite looked up to her and she noticed his eyes were a little darker. But it was only for a moment and he nodded silently.

"Bye." She said softly, reaching the surface.

She didn't hear his quiet goodbye as she exited the water.


	10. Chapter 9 - Understanding

Los Angeles Tribune

May 13th, 2018

Mad scientist and abusive father, Dr. Souichi Tomoe has been released from prison. An anonymous benefactor has placed the 12 million dollar bail for Dr. Tomoe, just two days from his arraignment. Police warned Dr. Tomoe to stay in the city until his court date but failed to get a flight risk house arrest permit prior to his release. His current whereabouts are unknown. His daughter, Hotaru Tomoe- who he mutilated by performing experimental surgeries, removing an arm in order to replace with a prototypical robotic prosthetic, and kept in a cage for the past 2 years- is safe and under the custody of a foster home and scheduled to go into witness protection to be kept safe from her father. Most of the tortured animals have been unfortunately put down. Commissioner Furahtaka asks the public to report any sightings of Dr. Tomoe. While he is not due in court until Saturday, the police are very interested in his whereabouts. The Commissioner also warns the public to keep a safe distance from the doctor. He has yet to show violent tendencies outside of a surgical room, but the man has shown to be clearly unstable.

Had she slept at all the night before? Makoto poured herself a large mug of coffee, hoping it would help her focus. She couldn't get the look on Nephrite's face out of her mind. He seemed so disappointed. Was it possible that he really meant it? That he was glad she had jumped into the tank? And not just because she was getting him out, but because he actually liked her company?

She couldn't lie to herself, she liked his company too. It was easy to talk to him, to joke with him. He had a weird way of making her feel completely at ease and completely self aware from one moment to the next. Makoto recognized a crush when she felt one and felt foolish for letting herself get attached. She took a long gulp of coffee as she rushed out of her apartment.

Turning the deadbolt before running down the stairs, unwilling to wait for the slow elevator, Makoto contemplated her crush on Nephrite. It was only a crush. He was incredibly handsome and mysterious, who wouldn't have a crush on him? But the fact remained that she couldn't let it develop into more than just a crush. He was a mermaid for pete's sake! She needed to focus on learning whatever she could and then setting him free at the first opportune moment.

Which was becoming increasingly difficult with the half days she was scheduled to work. She wondered if she could get away with some overtime, but decided against it in order to not call attention to herself. She needed to maintain a good facade at work until Nephrite was in the clear. Then she'd probably be fired. Being without a job alarmed her, but she had spent the previous afternoon sending out resumes in an attempt to solidify employment ahead of time, because even if she wasn't fired there was _no way_ she was going to continue to work for B.O.R.R.O. Makoto had even thought about alerting the authorities and PETA to start an investigation of whatever else was happening in the facility. Who was to say Nephrite was the only creature being mistreated inside the facility?

Makoto got into her station wagon and made her way out of her parking lot and towards the coast.

The escape plan was coming along nicely. Makoto made sure to drop by the cafeteria the day before to make sure no major changes had been done to the schedule. Everything seemed in order. She also sent Bancroft an email asking about an expensive piece of equipment she knew Bancroft wouldn't agree to, just to confirm her out of office message hadn't changed.

It was Wednesday, if Nephrite could just hang on until Friday night, he'd be home free. And until then, Makoto was determined to spend as much time as she could with the merman.

Opening the massive metal doors to the lab and entering the dark room illuminated only by the glowing turquoise from the tank and not spotting Nephrite immediately, Makoto worried that things would still be awkward from the day before. She walked over to the lights and switched them on. Nephrite instantly appeared, an easy smirk on his face. In that moment Makoto forgot all about her worries of the escape and of the awkwardness between them She hurried forward, talking to herself as she discarded clothing.

"Hurry up and change, Mako," She told herself. "You still only have a half-day and you're not going to waste it. Remember not to pester him with questions, he is entitled to his privacy. So, keep your trap shut!" Makoto dressed in just a bikini this time - she ran out of clean one pieces- and rushed up the ladder. "And for goodness sake, don't be a weirdo when he kisses you. He doesn't mean it. It's just a way for you to breathe. Stop overthinking it!"

Makoto approached the edge of the railing and spotted Nephrite waiting expectantly below the surface. She wasn't sure if it was because of the ripples, but he seemed to have an odd look on his face. It didn't matter, though. It was time she stopped second guessing everything. Makoto took a deep breath and jumped feet first into the water.

Whatever odd expression she thought she had seen was gone when she was in front of him. All that was left was genuine happiness. How a person could manage to look so cheerful while chained was astounding.

Without hesitating, Makoto extended her hand forward and kicked a little. Nephrite reached and clasped her hand, pulling her towards him. She tapped a finger against her lips with a smile she didn't mean to be coy.

His lips had a hint of a smirk on them, it would have been cocky if not for the soft look in his eyes. Nephrite cupped her face and leaned into her lips. She accepted his lips, which she noticed this time were smooth and warm. His kiss was gentle this time, Makoto closed her eyes and when he opened his mouth she didn't resist. Makoto got so lost in the kiss she forgot there was a purpose to it. His tongue slipped in and Makoto felt her heart race. The kiss only lasted a few seconds but when Nephrite released her lips and Makoto came back to herself she realized she was almost panting. She hadn't noticed that her arms had gone around him and buried themselves in his hair. She backed away quickly muttering apologies and avoiding his gaze. Had she looked him in the face she might have seen the disappointment in his eyes.

But Makoto's gaze was occupied by his hands, which were much scalier than before- this time she knew for sure. She examined the rest of his body and was surprised to notice large differences in his fish to human ratio. The scales that used to end just below his navel were higher now, almost to his ribs where his gills extended further towards his middle. His hands were completely clawed now with blues and greens reaching his elbow.

Nephrite noticed her inspection and hid his hands behind him.

"It's nothing." He said unprompted.

"Why is it happening?" Concern coating her voice, Makoto reached towards him. Nephrite backed up away from reach.

"Come on, doc. You know why."

"How would I know? It's not like you've told me anything about you." Nephrite looked upset, like he didn't want to keep talking about it, but Makoto was starting to get concerned. She got the feeling that this wasn't normal for him. "Neph, talk to me."

"I have a complicated body."

"Ya think?" Makoto said with a smile which he returned even if not as brightly.

"People don't belong in cages any more than animals do. Some go crazy, others lose the will to live. But sometimes there are physical reactions to this."

"Like orcas." Makoto said softly.

Nephrite nodded. "When in captivity their fins curl."

"Is that what's happening to you?"

"I might be half fish, but I'm still half man. I need to breathe fresh air. I need to-" He shook his head and cut off his sentence before continuing. "I'm just looking forward to Friday."

"Will this be permanent?"

"No one's been in this situation before." Nephrite shrugged. "There are stories, of those that didn't want to...go to the surface anymore. That didn't want to be human at all anymore. If they stayed under long enough, isolated enough, legend says they turned. Fled to the bottom of the ocean and were never to be seen again. Not as mers anyway."

"Is that what's happening to you? Are you turning because you haven't gotten fresh air?"

Nephrite shrugged. "Lack of fresh air, filtered water, caged, chained. Take your pick. None of this is natural. The body reacts differently to every situation. Lately, I've… I've been struggling to keep my mind clear."

"What do you mean?" Makoto asked concerned.

Nephrite met her eyes then and Makoto could read the fear in them. "I've been losing time. Not often. And not long either, I don't think. But it started a couple of days ago and there's not much I can do to prevent it from happening."

"If I could break you out now, I would. You know that, right?" Makoto's voice cracked though she tried to be strong for him.

Noticing her distress, Nephrite rushed forward, clawed hands hovering over her but not making contact. "Hey, hey. Now, come on, doc. You're doing the best you can, right? It's just a couple more days. I can hang in there. Just a couple more days and it's sea breeze time."

"Sea breeze time?" Makoto said struggling to keep the tears in- she didn't realize it was possible to cry underwater.

"Yeah. I do it every morning. Or, rather, I used to."

"What's that?"

"Come up to the surface to watch the sunrise." Makoto could only stare in shock. Nephrite continued. "There's this complete sense of peace when you see the sunlight hit the ocean. My favorite part is the sea breeze that comes with it all. It washes over me and fills me with happiness, with hope, with… with-" Nephrite struggled for words.

Which Makoto filled in for him. "Love."

Their eyes met. "With love." Nephrite agreed softly.

Makoto's body began to float up and Nephrite extended his tail for her to hold on to. Most of the day was spent teaching Makoto how to be natural in the water. It was harder for her since her body wasn't meant for constant aquatic conditions, a fact which Nephrite would purposely ignore and bug her about. Every time he did, Makoto forgot about trying to be natural in the water and in her playful frustration would swim and move with such precision Nephrite could only say that she should be one of them.

"Aren't you curious?" Makoto asked as she was preparing to leave.

"About?"

"The human world. I ask so much about you and your world, but you don't seem to care too much about us full humans."

"I know plenty." Nephrite said looking at his chain disdainfully.

"Not all of us are like that, you know? Most of us are decent people."

"Yeah, doc? Have _you _been treated decently in your life?"

Makoto blushed in embarrassment. She couldn't lie to him and say that her life had been a bed of roses, but it wouldn't be fair to say she had been treated badly all her life.

"The people around me did the best they could." It was mostly the truth. Society sucked, but no one had outright been evil towards her.

"So no one's dismissed you because of where you come from? Judged you for the way you look? No one's ever broken your heart?"

_Andrew_. How had he known these things? Was he psychic? Makoto felt bare in front of him and couldn't think of a response in her shock.

"Life unda' da sea is bettah than anyt'ing dey got up dere" Nephrite finished in a jamaican accent that made Makoto burst out laughing.

"I don't even want to know how you know about Sebastian!" Makoto managed when she could speak again.

"Go home. Come back tomorrow." Nephrite told her knowing she couldn't get in trouble for staying late but sounding eager to spend more time with her.

"Just a couple more days." Makoto said just before she broke the surface. She pulled herself out of the tank, collected her things and climbed down the ladder. She started to make her way out of the lab when she paused and turned back to look at Nephrite. He was floating in front of the glass, watching her leave.

"Soon. I promise." She said quietly.

He raised a clawed hand and waved her goodbye.


	11. Chapter 10 - Revelations

AN: Warning. Language.

It had been another night of baking cookies to distract herself from her own thoughts. Was Nephrite right about people? Had she been making excuses for everyone who had ever treated her wrong? Her life hadn't exactly been the easiest, but it wouldn't be fair to condemn everyone for the mistakes of a few. It really wasn't in her nature to hold grudges. Makoto resolved to show Nephrite that not all humans were bad, starting with setting him free. Thankfully the cookies came out tasting like heaven this time thanks to the smoother playlist she remembered to choose.

The following day Makoto overslept. There were errands she had to run before arriving at the facility and none of them could be done fast enough. From the bank to getting an oil change, to getting some groceries, she wished some of this stuff could be put off. But if she was going to set Nephrite free, she might need to disappear for a few days. She needed to make sure that she had extra cash on hand, a car that could make it a safe distance away and food so she would only have to stop for gas.

She arrived to the facility at almost 5 in the afternoon, the sun was starting to go down over the ocean, but Makoto had no interest in it. Had she known what would await her, she would have taken the extra couple of moments to slow down.

As it was, she half jogged into the lab, kicked off her shoes and discarded her shorts all before going up the ladder. Once at the top, Makoto threw her top on the floor and dove head first into the aquarium.

Oddly, she didn't spot Nephrite quickly. She thought back and realized she hadn't seen him coming in either. Was he hiding? She looked around and noticed the stillness in the water. Where were all the other fish? They weren't usually so shy. Two seconds passed and she couldn't find Nephrite.

The chain. The easiest way to pinpoint his location was to follow the chain. Makoto swam a few feet over to see the chain attached to the wall and followed its links. They went across the tank, turning around her eyes followed it behind some pipes. The chain came up into a dark corner where she finally saw something glisten. She wasn't sure why he was hiding, but at this rate she was going to go up for air.

Confused but needing air, Makoto extended her arms and kicked her legs to reach the surface.

_WHOOSH!_

Makoto didn't hear the rushing water or see as the creature came at her in blinding speed. She only registered the attack as he tackled her into the glass behind her. She screamed, letting out the little bit of air she had left. She couldn't comprehend what was happening. Pushing back on her attacker, Makoto's eyes finally focused.

It was Nephrite. Nephrite was attacking her. Why?!

Nothing made sense, what had she done? What was wrong with him?

His eyes. Makoto noticed his eyes were large and almost completely black, lifeless. She was holding him back by the neck as he snapped at her. His teeth were sharp and jagged. He was too strong and Makoto wasn't sure how long she could hold him back. One clawed hand was digging into her chest, holding her firmly to the glass while the other was being held less than an inch from her face. Makoto wasn't sure what would happen first, would she lose consciousness or would he bite her first. The way she was weakening made her fear it would be the latter.

She needed him to snap out of it. But how was she supposed to do that when she couldn't speak to him? If she let go of him, he'd devour her. She was losing the struggle. Her lungs burned. She let go of his hand in order to keep his approaching face away, though that hand dug into her shoulder, the claws doing away with her skin. Nephrite closed another inch between them. Makoto saw red float up in front of her and felt dizzy. The red touched his face and he inhaled deeply through his nose. A distant part of Makoto's brain found it weird as he normally breathed through the gills at his ribs and neck. She felt herself lose the battle against Nephrite and her own consciousness.

Makoto's strength gave out as her eyes closed, not wanting to see his teeth tear into her. The next thing she knew her eyes had flown open as water came spewing out of her mouth when she felt herself get punched in the stomach. Her arms were scrambling as she was falling. Her nails dug into the railing, the world spinning around her as she coughed and sucked air in. Everything was chaos and a struggle for survival.

Pulling herself flat unto the railing Makoto felt her strength leave her. She laid panting and coughing up water. Her shoulder burned, her chest was sore, and her stomach ached. Her mind raced to put together what happened.

One moment Nephrite had been about to rip her face off with his teeth, the next she was scrambling to climb onto the rail. How had she gotten there? She knew the only reason she was still alive was because the force with which she hit the metal had forced the water out of her throat, but the only way that could have happened would be if he had thrown her there.

Had he snapped out of it? Had he awoken just before finishing the job? Makoto looked through the holes in the metal railing into the water below but couldn't see him.

Slowly she pushed herself up, being careful to not bother her bleeding shoulder. It was bleeding, but not profusely. She didn't think she'd need stitches, maybe a bandage would do. For now, she grabbed her shirt and pressed it to the wound.

Makoto made her way carefully down the ladder, wincing whenever she had to use her left arm. Landing on the floor, she made her way slowly towards the other side of the glass. There was no sight of Nephrite.

"Neph?" Makoto said called quietly to herself.

She stood in front of the glass, waiting, hoping he would show himself. Yes, she was shaken but she knew this hadn't been his fault. Hadn't he warned her yesterday about what was happening to him? Neither of them were to blame. Bancroft alone held fault. Makoto knew Nephrite was somewhere in the tank beating himself up over the incident and she couldn't let him do that.

If he threw her out of the tank, then that must mean he had come back to himself. If he wouldn't come out, then Makoto would just have to go back in. She turned and headed for the ladder. The second her hand made contact with the metal, Nephrite appeared.

"Don't come back in here."

Makoto let go of the ladder instantly, turning to face Nephrite, mouth slightly ajar.

"I know you think it's not my fault," he continued. "And yeah, if it weren't for Bancroft this wouldn't be happening. But the bottom line is, it's too dangerous now. _I'm _ too dangerous now. I don't trust myself to not hurt you. Look at you, you're bleeding. I did that. The only thing that even snapped me out of it was the scent of your blood. It smelled familiar, from the first time you fell in, and I recognized it. Do you understand how heinous that is? I can't guarantee I won't kill you next time. You cannot come back in here. And I know that means I'll stay in this god forsaken tank until I die, but I can't risk hurting you. Forget about the escape plan and forget about me."

Makoto could only stare as he spoke so impassioned, his fists furled and tinted green skin scrunched at the top of his nose. Finally, as he met her eyes, Makoto said the only thing that had been running through her mind.

"You mean to tell me…" she spoke slowly, "that you've been able to hear me from inside the tank this entire time?"

"Didn't you hear what I said?"

"Yes. That's what's pissing me off. You could have spoken to me through this glass _all this time?!" _

"Makoto!" The sound of her name instead of the usual '_doc'_ stopped Makoto's berating. "Leave." He meant it. There was not a trace of doubt in his face. It pissed her off.

"You can't tell me what to do, Nephrite! I promised you I'd get you out of here and that's what I intend to do."

"Don't you understand?!" His sharp teeth were clenched in agitation. "I'll kill you!"

"You can try!" She knew she was being difficult, but he had to understand that she wasn't going to abandon him.

"I'll succeed!" He yelled and then he punched the glass in anger. "Damn it! Listen to me. If you come back in here I will not recognize you. I will kill you and no one will ever know what happened to you, except for me. And how do you think I'll cope when I come to, _if_ I come to? Do you think I could live with myself having killed the woman I love?"

"The what?" Makoto asked startled.

"The woman I love." Nephrite repeated more calmly. "I love you, Makoto. I can't risk you, no matter what happens to me. I need you to be safe."

"I- I-" She stuttered. What was she supposed to say to that? "I've got to go."

Makoto turned and grabbed her duffel bag, shoved her discarded clothing and shoes into it and ran as fast as she could out of the lab.

Nephrite was left alone, staring after her.

A slow clap emanated from a dark corner of the lab. Beryl Bancroft came out of the shadows clapping at Nephrite with a sneer that bordered on the maniacal.

"How touching." Bancroft said in her overly posh voice. "The beast doesn't want to hurt the beauty."

Nephrite bared his teeth at the woman, but whether he made the decision to do so or if it was an animalistic instinct, he wasn't sure.

"What are you doing here, Bancroft?" he growled.

"You know exactly what, darling." Her voice was sweet and patient, though Nephrite knew the truth to be the opposite. "Why don't you stop being difficult and give me what I want?" She approached the tank slowly, every word out of her mouth pure poison. "Don't you want to be free? You don't look so well. From what I heard earlier, it looks like your mind won't even be your own soon. You can stop this. You could even be with our dear Dr. Kino. She seems to like you well enough. Well, before you brutally attacked her, lied to her, and then pushed her away that is." She chuckled cruelly. "All you have to do is help me out a teensy little bit."

"Go to hell." Nephrite said without hesitation.

"I plan on dragging a few people with me, darling. Be sure of that." Bancroft said lowly, her sweet façade starting to fade. "Now, Nephrite. I am running out of options here. You see, this whole turning fully into a fish thing doesn't help me. I was rather hoping your relationship with Dr. Kino would have progressed faster than it has."

Nephrite frowned, uncomprehending her meaning.

"That's my own fault, I suppose. The girl needed more instruction in the art of seduction. Khaki shorts, honestly. The bikini was a nice touch." She had been watching the whole time? For how long? And what did she mean by seduction? "Come, darling. Did you really think she cared about you? I placed our sweet doctor with you on purpose. We've all heard of beauty and the beast, have we not? And what is that story if not just a bit of Stockholm Syndrome?"

Nephrite's stomach dropped. Bancroft wanted him to fall in love with Makoto and like an idiot he had. How could he not have when Makoto Kino was the sweetest person he had ever met? He had tried to stay away from her, treating the bombshell the same way he had treated the other workers- aggressively. But somewhere between her treating him like her personal psychiatrist and her tears for his imprisonment, Nephrite had fallen in love. It was why he pushed her away. He couldn't bear it if he hurt her. But now… now Nephrite wondered if Makoto had been in on it from the beginning. Had she played him?

Bancroft's lips stretched in a self-satisfying smile. "That was a very touching confession, I must admit. What _were _you planning to do when you escaped?"

She knew about the escape plan? Of course she knew. Makoto had probably told her. No. Bancroft had probably told Makoto what to say. Nephrite's teeth clenched and he felt the spines on his back rise. Anger filled every inch of him. Anger towards Beryl for being such a despicable bitch, towards Makoto for lying to him, and towards himself for falling for it.

Bancroft snapped her fingers a couple of times, calling him back to the current conversation.

"Do pay attention, darling. It's rude to ignore when someone is threatening you."

"Fuck off, Bancroft."

"I'd be happy to do so if you would just comply, but we're running out of time it seems."

"You know you're one to talk about unrequited love." Nephrite spoke over her. "I don't understand this mission from hell that you're on. _He doesn't love you._" Nephrite meant for the words to hurt but was not aware of the reaction they would elicit.

The woman turned around and sent everything on Makoto's desk crashing to the ground as she screamed.

"_I_ was supposed to be your queen. _I_ was supposed to be ruler of all the merpeople. Do you think that _insipid_ beast of a child could hold a candle to _me_?! I swear to God, Nephrite. You will do what I want or you will force my hand." Every sentence was spoken as she threw lamps, staplers, desk phones, and whatever else she could find across the room.

Unmoved by Bancroft's tantrum, Nephrite replied. "You've got me chained by the neck in a tank in an underground facility. What else could you possibly do to me, Beryl?"

Bancroft huffed and straightened her blazer.

"Just remember that I tried doing this the nice way." Nephrite didn't want to admit that the maniacal look in her eyes made him uneasy. The large doors in the far back of the lab opened and a man walked in. "Nephrite," Bancroft said. "Meet Dr. Tomoe."

* * *

He loved her. He loved her?! Makoto shook her head as she got in her car and sped out of the parking lot. How could he say such a thing? He didn't know her. What could he possibly know about her when they'd only spent a couple of days together.

That's when it hit her.

Nephrite had been able to hear her through the glass the whole time.

Makoto slammed on the breaks causing cars behind her to swerve and honk their horns along with throwing some rather rude gestures at her. She didn't notice any of it as she stared open mouthed in horror at nothing in particular thinking about everything she had said and done prior to entering the tank. She had given him her entire life's story, for Pete's sake. She had told him about her parents, her childhood, her friends, her dreams and her fears. She had told him about Andrew. Ugh! She had talked incessantly about Andrew. How could he love her when he knew that her heart belonged elsewhere. Didn't it?

She took her foot off the break and continued her drive home in almost a state of shock.

Makoto didn't know what she felt for Nephrite. It wasn't like he was human for her to have such conflicting feelings, but the thought of never seeing him again after tomorrow left a bad taste in her mouth- because no matter what he said, she was getting him out of there now more than ever. Her plans hadn't changed one bit.

For all his bravado in the beginning, Nephrite was a bleeding heart and it made Makoto wonder if he had someone hurting over his disappearance. The thought made her grip her steering wheel tighter. Did Nephrite have someone out there? Someone that was missing him, looking for him? She wondered if that was why he was so secretive all the time. The cad probably had an entire family of little guppy fish out there!

Makoto shook her head. No, that didn't really line up with what she knew of him. Nephrite believed in doing what was right. Hiding a family wasn't right and he'd probably be offended if he knew the thought had gone through her head.

Makoto parked her car and went inside her building trying to shake off the confusing feelings. Maybe he'd agree to visit occasionally once he was free. But then again, he'd risk being recaptured if he came back around. Neither of them wanted that. The elevator opened up to her floor and she was in the middle of googling how much a small boat would cost when she turned the corner and found a man sitting on her doormat.

"Mako!" He said as he scrambled to stand up.

"Andrew? What are you doing here?" she said, phone placed in her back pocket forgotten.

"Mako, I couldn't wait any longer!" He looked a little stressed out to her. His polo was wrinkled, his usually neat hair was disheveled. She worried that he wasn't taking care of himself.

"Wait for what?" She asked, finding her keys to open what used to be their apartment.

"For this." Andrew dropped to one knee and brought out a glittering diamond ring. "Makoto, would you marry me?"


	12. Chapter 11 - Reflections

"What the _hell _are you talking about?" Makoto screamed at the man kneeling in front of her.

"I love you, Makoko. Marry me." Andrew insisted, giving the ring a slight shake in her direction.

"Drew. Get the hell up." She entered her apartment, leaving the door open for Andrew to follow.

"I know I messed up before, but that's all over now. You're the one for me." He pleaded as he closed the door. "Hey, you painted the walls." He noticed belatedly.

Makoto put down her stuff on the couch, grabbed a towel to dry her hair, thankful that her shoulder had stopped bleeding and answered distractedly. "Yeah, I always wanted to but you didn't want to because we'd have to paint it back to white if we ever moved out."

"It's a nice color." He said looking around at all the changes she had made. "You really made the place into your own. I barely recognize it."

"That's what happens when your ex fiance moves out taking all the furniture." Though the words were meant to be harsh, Makoto couldn't help but laugh a little. She really did like her apartment much more now. It was true she was still lonely- more than half of her friends had chosen Andrew's side in the breakup- but she couldn't help but be grateful to him for breaking her heart. It taught her to make her life her own. Makoto had always been unapologetically herself around Nephrite, but didn't really consider what that meant. Now looking at Andrew stand in her living room looking so out of place, it hit her. She had never been comfortable enough around Andrew to let go of her inhibitions. She was so worried about making sure he was happy that she didn't realize he hadn't been worried about the same for her. Their relationship had been centered around what _he_ liked and what _he_ thought. It had never been what _they_ thought or even what _she_ liked. She really _had_ loved Andrew, but Makoto realized she hadn't liked herself.

"Drew, where's Rita?" She asked wanting to cut through all the bull.

"Rita was a mistake. You're the one I love." Andrew hurried to tell her.

"I find it hard to believe that the girl you ended our engagement over and said, and I quote, '_gives my very being meaning'_, was a '_mistake'_. So what's really going on?"

"She was all wrong for me. I see clearly now that you're the one I should marry."

"Is that a fact?" Makoto raised her brow unbelievingly at him.

"Yes!" He rushed forward with the ringbox.

"What happened to me not being _wife material_?" Makoto asked sarcastically while she rummaged through her cabinets for a wine glass.

"I was an idiot then! Blinded by lust!"

"Drew." Makoto bit in a tone that let him know she was losing patience. "Hurry up and tell me where Rita's at before I kick you out."

Andrew hesitated, biting his lip in almost a cartoonish way deciding whether to tell her or not. Finally he gave a big sigh and spilled it all out.

"Rita's moving to Africa for work. She's leaving me behind. That's when I realized that's exactly what I did to you and how wrong I was."

Makoto stopped moving around her kitchen and stared at Andrew. Then she began to laugh hysterically.

"Are you serious right now?" She chortled. Andrew frowned.

"I'm very serious, Makoto. I love you!"

"No, no." Makoto shook her hand at him and tried to catch her breath. "Drew. You are such an idiot."

Andrew looked affronted at her comment. "Well, that's rather rude isn't it? Here I come, proposing to you and I get called an idiot. Very nice, Makoto. Really."

Makoto wiped the tears of mirth from her eyes and took a seat on her barstool.

"Oh, come off it, Drew. This isn't even your first proposal to me. It gets old after the first one." Makoto smirked as Andrew stuffed the ring back in his pocket. "And you're not proposing to me because you love me."

"Why else would I propose to you?!"

"Because you're scared. And an idiot."

"Stop calling me an idiot."

"No. Not until you realize what an idiot you're being."

"How am I being-!"

"By proposing to me and not Rita."

That stunned Andrew for a moment.

"I told you. She's leaving me."

"Is she leaving you, Drew? Or is she chasing a career opportunity and you're too self centered to realize she might want you to go with her?" Andrew blinked at her. "I don't know why you expect everyone to put their careers aside for you. You're a nice guy and all, but us women still have to lead our own lives. It can't all revolve around you. Stop offering me that ring and go propose to your girlfriend before she wisens up and actually leaves you."

"Do you really think she wants me to go with her?"

Makoto thought about the way Rita looked in Andrew's instagram pictures. Completely enamored, the way she had been once. There was no doubt in her mind.

"I truly do."

Andrew looked towards the door, Makoto could clearly tell that he wanted to run all the way back to her. But he hesitated.

"How do you not hate me, Mako?" Andrew turned back with true confusion in his eyes. "After everything I did. The way I treated you. I was such an asshole to you."

"Yeah, you were." Makoto laughed. He had the grace to look ashamed. "But it was a good thing you did." He rose his eyebrow in questioning. "We weren't right for each other, Drew. You're never content. And that's not necessarily a bad thing, to want more, but it's okay to enjoy what you have. You're a perfectionist. High strung and want things just the way you want them. I can't live my life stressing over the little things. You'll be happy with Rita in Africa, making a difference. You guys work together. I need someone who's more laid back. Who's willing to stop and smell the roses. I need someone who sees me for me and accepts me, flaws and all. I need someone that will put me ahead of themselves even when…" Makoto trailed off realizing what her words were saying.

Nephrite was someone who was laid back. Anyone else would have gone insane being chained in that tank, and yet he found a reason to smile every day. Nephrite had listened to her non-stop talking, complaining, and pure mindless chattering without saying a word. He knew all of her ugly and still said that he loved her. Nephrite was prepared to turn into a monster and spend the rest of his life chained up in an aquarium because he was afraid of hurting her.

Nephrite truly loved her. And…

"I have to go." Makoto suddenly stood, knocking the stool back.

"What? Now? Where?" Andrew looked startled at her abruptness.

Makoto grabbed her purse and rushed Andrew out the door.

"I have to go, I have to tell him-" Makoto's distracted talking was cut off by Andrew.

"_Him?_ Him _who_?! You have a '_him'_, Makoko?!"

It was funny how the only thing she wanted just a few days prior was to hear him call her '_Makoko' _and now all it did was grate on her nerves.

"Yes, I have a '_him'_." She looked him in the eye and spoke determinedly. "He is wonderful and funny and he listens and he's selfless and he _loves _me." Makoto took a deep breath and smiled. "And I love him."

Andrew stared back with his mouth slightly parted. He noticed the blush on her cheeks and the happiness radiating from her eyes. Andrew squashed the jealousy that he knew he had no right to feel and let Makoto go.

"Then go get him."


	13. Chapter 12 - Running Out of Time

The drive to the lab had never seemed longer. She must have caught every single red light and gotten stuck behind every slow driver in town. Makoto gripped the wheel with both hands and swerved around old ladies and screamed apologies at pedestrians. She needed to get to the lab. Needed to see Nephrite. Needed to tell him that she loved him too.

She knew she couldn't keep him. She knew she couldn't follow him. It might have been cliché, but it wasn't any less true that when you love something, you had to set it free. They still had another day to go before she could put that plan into action, but she could at least confess to him. They could have one day together to remember each other by. Nephrite had changed her life so completely and she didn't want to waste a single minute that she could be spending with him.

The institute seemed emptier than usual for some reason. Most workers left after 5PM but there was usually a security guard posted at the front. She wondered why the difference tonight but didn't pay much more attention to it. Makoto tried to walk calmly down to the lab but the excitement and the urgency to tell him had her skipping to prevent from running most of the way.

After getting through the three annoying levels of security, Makoto opened the metal double door to reveal the lab to be dark save the glow from the tank. That was odd, she was sure she left the lights on before she left. It didn't matter. She had finally made it. Maybe she should have thought about exactly what she was going to say to him. He had just blurted out his confession to her but she wanted to give him a nice speech. To tell him that she loves him because he can smile easier than anyone she knows. Because he's loyal to a fault and so selfless it was mind boggling. Because his kisses made her feel alive.

Makoto walked towards the tank trying to catch her breath. This time she knew better than to jump in the tank. She just prayed that he was more human than animal in this moment.

"Neph?" She called for him.

Makoto waited but saw no movement.

"Neph, don't ignore me. I need to talk to you, please."

A few more moments of silence and she began to worry. Even if he was mindless in this moment he would have reacted to her calling- albeit aggressively, but still.

"Neph!" She called out louder.

Nothing.

Makoto climbed the stairs, and keeping a tight grip on the railing, leaned down and looked into the tank. She really should have turned the lights on before climbing up.

"Neph! Nephrite!" She yelled, walking around the tank trying to see every angle of the tank. Where was he?

The lights flickered inside the tank and Makoto froze. That was weird. She shook her head and focused on the real problem.

"Neph! I know you can hear me. I know you're scared of what you'll do so I'll stay out of the water. But I'm not leaving you here. Tomorrow I'm going to come with the keys and I'm going to get you out. You and I are going to bust out of here and make it to the ocean. Because you deserve to be free. Because you're the best person I know. Because.. because," _Come on, Makoto! Spit it out! _ "Because I love you too!"

She was gripping the railing so hard that her knuckles were turning white. _Come on, Neph. Don't leave me hanging like this. Please. _She was panting, waiting for him to come out. But nothing happened.

Makoto frowned. Something was wrong.

The lights flickered again and the electricity groaned. What was going on? Was Nephrite not in the tank? Why wouldn't he be in there? He couldn't have escaped. Could he have had help?

Makoto looked back inside the tank and instead of looking for the merman started searching for the metal chain instead. She couldn't spot it either.

The electricity groaned again and the lights went completely out. Makoto started, not because of the darkness, but because along with the electricity groans Makoto heard screaming.

Light flashed, sending terrifying shadows on the walls. He tried to hold back the screams that tore from his throat, reluctant to give the sadistic doctor the satisfaction but it only made the Tomoe try harder. Nephrite laid panting in the casket-like tank he was currently strapped to. HIs wrists and tail had thick leather straps holding them in place while a longer strap kept his torso from rising. The metal collar was still in place, holding him effectively down.

How long had they been planning this scenario, he wondered bitterly, in order to have such a specific container ready for him. Where had Bancroft even found someone this depraved? The white haired man looked relatively young and fit and at first glance he seemed normal. But the look in his eyes, they were wild, not focusing on any particular thing for more than a second.

He spoke slowly and quietly making everything he said have a sense of anticipation as to what horror would come out of his mouth. His hands jittered if he wasn't doing something with them. Unfortunately for Nephrite, his hands had been occupied for the last hour. Dr. Tomoe's hands wore long rubber gloves that reached his elbow as he handled a thick black cord that sparked randomly when not in contact with anything.

"Did you know, Specimen," Dr. Tomoe refused to call him by his name, " that electric eels can send up to 600 volts through its victim? Would you happen to have any relation to the electric eel?"

Nephrite wanted to spew profanities at him- the son of a bitch had been electrocuting him for the better part of an hour, his screaming made it clear he wasn't immunite to it- but his weary body could only manage a growl through clenched teeth.

"The only way to find these things out is through testing. I don't believe I am being thorough enough. Perhaps if we increase the voltage."

Nephrite's eyes shot to Tomoe's hand turning the knob of the machine connected to the cords he held. Nephrite's breathing came in shorter bursts as his fists clenched in preparation. He wished he could just pass out. Or maybe have his mind be taken over by the animal inside of him that threatened to take him over before. Why couldn't he just revert and let the animal in him deal with the pain? It felt less than he did, it could handle the situation better. But the animal stayed away locked in his subconscious and let Nephrite face Tomoe alone.

Tomoe's teeth showed through what Nephrite could only assume was a smile- it was entirely too wide to look natural- as the glare against his glasses hid his wild eyes, making the doctor look soulless. Perhaps he was.

Just as before, the moment the electric cords made contact with the water, Nephrite was thrown in to a world of pain. The water splashed from the electricity, the crackling sounds were deafening, and the room went dark. Nephrite didn't notice any of this. He didn't notice the laughter coming from the man above him nor the way Bancroft simply sat on a stool and filed her nails. No, all that Nephrite knew was that Tomoe didn't stop when he hit the water, he pressed the electric cords directly against his abdomen. Nephrite felt a tooth crack in the back of his mouth as he clenched his teeth harder and prayed he could pass out. The contact didn't last longer than a couple of seconds but it was enough to leave him dazed and panting. Maybe he was related to the electric eel, after all he wasn't dead yet.

"Interesting." Dr. Tomoe muttered. "I wonder…" Nephrite felt chills up his spine from those two little words. "I wonder… Do you have any relation to the Antarctic Tooth Fish?"

Nephrite's eyes went wide with recognition of the name. He once again pulled on his restraints hoping to dislodge them, but the leather held fast.

"Ah, I see you are familiar with the species. Perhaps you are not so dimwitted, specimen."

"Not smart enough to give me what I want and release himself from this torture." Bancroft added snidely.

"I don't like that word, Ms. Bancroft. Please, have some respect for science. I will have made leaps and bounds in the art of discovery by the time we are done here." Turning back to Nephrite, Tomoe continued. "The Antarctic Tooth Fish, as you well know, can survive in icy waters because unlike the surface of those waters, their blood does not freeze." Tomoe walked around the small tank and reached for the faucet, turning its lever slowly towards the right.

Nephrite's eyes shifted quickly from Tomoe's hand to his grinning face.

"I'm not," he tried to growl out. The warmth already slipping away from him, making him pant harder. "I'm not immune to temperatures. I'll freeze."

"Have you ever been to polar waters, Specimen?"

Nephrite could only glare.

"Then how would you know?" Tomoe replied taking his silence as a 'no' and turned the lever as far as it would go.

Nephrite's body began to shake slightly. The water was painfully cold, he could no longer feel his fingers very well.

"P-please." He reluctantly pleaded. He could feel his heartbeat slowing down, the ache in his mouth from the cracked tooth only getting worse through his chattering teeth.

"You might be in some pain, Specimen, but you have yet to freeze." Tomoe said in a bored voice as he jotted down notes on a clipboard.

Nephrite saw frost on the glass and realized he could no longer move his tail as well as before. It hurt to breathe. His thoughts were getting slower and the world around him was getting blurry. He could see Bancroft waving her arms and pointing at him but he couldn't understand why she looked upset. There was yelling but he couldn't process what was being said. He didn't hurt as much anymore, he just felt very sleepy. He blinked slowly and reminded himself that this was bad. Nephrite became sad then. Some part of his brain prayed that someone would come. That it would stop soon.

He saw Tomoe speaking to him, but he couldn't make out the words. Bancroft was standing beside him and then she wasn't. Tomoe stopped speaking to him and turned around. And then he wasn't there either. Then there was a new face. A familiar face. She was pretty. She looked upset. This was Makoto. Makoto had come to visit him. That was nice of her. But then he remembered what Bancroft had said. Makoto was not a nice person at all. She was the enemy.

It hadn't been easy navigating through the dark following the screams and Makoto berated herself for not hurrying more when she realized who the screams were coming from. It wasn't hard to find which room he was in, the flashing lights illuminating the hallway had her running. Looking inside she spotted Bancroft filing her nails on a stool, when had she come back into town? The question didn't last long in her head as she spotted a view that made her heart sink to her toes. Dr. Tomoe was in the room, standing over Nephrite who was lying in a small rectangular tank, electrocuting him. Torturing him.

Rage overcame Makoto. She looked around the hallway for something to help her. She spotted a fire extinguisher and grabbed it. Without much thought she entered the room, marched right up to Bancroft and hit her over the head with the red cylinder. Bancroft dropped immediately to the ground, the noise causing Tomoe to turn around. Thankfully, Makoto had not stopped moving after she knocked out Bancroft and was able to hit Tomoe in the temple before he could react properly.

Throwing the fire extinguisher away she noticed a bulge in the back of Bancroft's blazer. Makoto approached the unconscious woman and inspected her lower back. She wished she could say she wasn't surprised anymore by what she found but she had still gasped. After a few seconds of ensuring her safety, Makoto flipped Bancroft's blazer back down and made a mental note to call the police as soon as she helped Nephrite escape.

Rushing over to the coffin-like tank Nephrite was unusually quiet inside of, Makoto placed her hands over it and ripped her hands away at the chill she felt. They were freezing him! Nephrite's lips were blue and he looked barely conscious.

"Nephrite! Hold on! I'll get you out of here."

With a deep breath, Makoto threw her hands into the icy water, ignoring their bite, and undoing the leather buckles. She worked as quickly as she could, all the while begging Nephrite to stay with her. Shoving her arms under his to drag him out was not an easy task. She held her breath at throwing half her body into the water, bracing herself for the cold. It didn't help much. He also weight a ton and Makoto might have been strong, but she would have needed to be freakishly strong to lift his limp body out of that tank. Even her hands were starting to lose feeling from the cold. Nephrite's eyes weren't open anymore, was he breathing? Makoto told herself to not panic. She turned around and ran for the discarded fire extinguisher. Running back and not slowing her approach, she slammed the metal against the glass, instantly breaking the glass and soaking her legs as all the water quickly drained out.

"Nephrite! Nephrite, please wake up!" She begged shaking his shoulders. Her voice was shaky and her throat hurt. He wasn't responding. She checked his pulse and thanked God when she felt it. It was light, but most definitely there. She needed to warm him up quick. She kicked herself when she realized she should have changed the temperature of the water rather than breaking the tank. Still, she ran to the faucets and turned the red one a few times. Not enough water was getting on him. She kicked the tank and told herself to think. He was already shirtless, so she didn't need to remove wet clothing. But she could add some on… Blankets! She needed blankets.

"Just hold on. I'll be right back. Just.. just wait!" Makoto yelled back as she ran out of the room. Making her way blindly to the maintenance closet she found what she was looking for. Shelves full of thick towels for the trainers. She grabbed as many as she could and ran back to the room.

Makoto froze at the doorway when she saw Bancroft still lying unconscious on the floor… but Dr. Tomoe was gone. Makoto's head shot in every direction, hoping to spot the mad scientist. She turned her whole body hoping to see through the dark. She was panting and scared and running out of time. Makoto took a deep breath and forced herself to step into the room that may as well have been labeled "_This is a trap!"_, accepting the risk in order to help Nephrite.

Makoto threw the towels on top of him, covering everything from his neck to his tail. She dried him off and threw the soaking towels on the floor, using the still dry ones as blankets. She rubbed the blankets on him, hoping to create heat friction and when she got desperate enough Makoto raised the towels and climbed on top of him, draping the towels over herself to trap the heat inside.

Laying her head on his bare chest, Makoto prayed her body warmth would be enough. In the back of Makoto's mind she was worried about where Tomoe might be. Did he run away? Was he waiting to strike? How long would Bancroft be out for? What would she do when she woke up? Why wasn't Nephrite waking up? What was she going to do when he did? She couldn't carry him out. The plan had always been to use a cart to get him out, but she couldn't leave him to go find one now. He needed to wake up so he could defend himself. Makoto's eyes went wide when a dark thought came across her mind. What if he's not himself when he wakes up? What if she was lying in the arms of a monster ready to rip her apart the second he warmed up enough?

Tears came to Makoto's eyes as she thought of all the possible horrible outcomes of the situation she found herself in the middle of. Still, she didn't stop rubbing Nephrite's arms, she allowed her warm face to be pressed against his chest and ignoring everything else, Makoto prayed Nephrite would just wake up.


	14. Chapter 13 - Betrayal

AN: Warning- Language

"Please wake up. Please, please, wake up." Makoto didn't know when she started to cry, but it must have been a while ago because her entire cheek was wet. She doubted that she had ever felt such a large sense of relief than when she felt his chest rise with a deep breath.

Her head shot up to look at Nephrite under her and saw him slowly blink his eyes open. It took a moment for them to focus but when they did the look he gave her made Makoto freeze. Of all the things she was expecting – relief, gratitude, happiness, maybe even fear- anger had not been one of them. And Nephrite _was_ angry. His pupils slit slightly as his brows furrowed and cheek twitched from clenching his jaw. Was he the monster now? Would he recognize her this time? And she was in his literal clutches. There was no way she'd be able to jump off of him before he dug his claws into her. Her best bet was to stay calm and bring him back to himself.

"Neph, it's me." She spoke softly.

"Get off of me, Makoto." Nephrite's voice was clear and cold, though Makoto didn't notice its tone. She was too relieved to hear him speak.

If Nephrite was speaking that meant that he was himself! Relief flooded Makoto and she threw her head down to hug him.

"Oh, thank God you're alright! I was so worried! You weren't responding and your heartbeat was so slow. I thought I was going to lose-" Makoto's relieved rant was cut off when Nephrite sat up unceremoniously making her fall to the floor.

"Ow! Rude much?!" Makoto said from the floor, clearly annoyed.

"What happened to Bancroft?" He asked gruffly looking at the woman lying on the floor. Why was he being so short with her? Was it because he thought she had rejected him? True, she had practically run away after he confessed his love for her. It was rude, and she could understand why he was hurt, but none of that mattered anymore. She loved him too.

"I knocked her out with the fire extinguisher." Makoto replied off-handedly as she got herself off the ground. This was it. She was going to tell him she loved him. That it didn't matter that they would never see each other again after this because Nephrite had irreversibly changed her life. And maybe, just _maybe_, they would kiss. And that kiss wouldn't be for survival. It would be because they wanted to. It would be an entirely different experience and Makoto had to hold back from throwing herself on him.

"Neph, I have something to tell you." She said softly nearing him.

"Where's Tomoe?" He asked ignoring her and looking around.

The question did make Makoto pause. She looked around, dark corners instilling a little bit of fear in her, why was the lighting so bad in this room?

"I'm not sure. I knocked him out too, but a few minutes later and he was gone. It's possible he woke up, got scared and ran."

"Doubt it." Nephrite said darkly.

That's when Makoto realized how selfish she was being. The man had just been tortured and she was worried because he was acting rudely towards her?! This was not the time for love confessions. She needed to get him warm and to safety.

"You're right. We need to get out of here." She told him. "There's a flatbed trolley in the maintenance closet that I was going to use tomorrow. Wait here while I go get it!"

"Don't bother." Makoto could hear the anger in his voice. Her heart broke for him. She approached him cautiously with nothing but pure tenderness in her features.

"Neph, I'm so sorry for what you've gone through. I can't imagine-" Makoto cut herself off shaking her head. She shouldn't make him relive it. "But we need to get you out of here."

Makoto stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Nephrite swing his tail over the broken tank and slide off the table. She saw his claws shorten to fingernails. The webbing between his fingers completely disappeared. The scales peppering his skin dissolved into a tan skin tone until they were indistinguishable from his flesh. But most alarming of all was Nephrite's tail. It changed colors as it touched the ground and split in two. Makoto's eyes widened as far as they'd go as his tail split into legs. Very manly, muscular legs that made her blink a few times to make sure she wasn't imagining it.

Then Nephrite stood to his full height. He was impressive. Standing at least 6'5", his half dry chesnut hair flowing down his back, his body, so defined, would make Adonis jealous. In simple words, Nephrite was _cut_.

"You.. you have legs." Makoto stated dumbly. And in between those legs was the evidence of just how much of a man he was. She couldn't have torn her eyes away if she had wanted to. Nephrite stood tall and proud in all his naked glory. Because he was. He was so so so so naked. Makoto found herself swallowing and wondering why it was suddenly so hot in the room.

Still ignoring her, Nephrite began to walk away from the tank and around the small room, giving Makoto a view of the back that made her head tilt in admiration. It was the slamming of drawers and closet doors that brought Makoto out of her stupor. She shook her head and once again tried to process what was happening.

"Nephrite! You have legs!"

"No shit." His tone was so cold and dismissive that Makoto began to take it personally.

"I don't understand! Why haven't you told me before? Can you survive if you don't have a tail? Can you breathe underwater when you have legs? Have you always been able to switch on command? Or is it because you're out of the water? And if you-"

"Enough, Makoto!" Nephrite yelled, effectively shutting her up. Makoto stood with her mouth slightly ajar in confusion to everything that was happening. "Do you ever stop asking questions?" He kept going. "Don't you have enough information to report back? Go wake up your boss and show her what a good little worker you've been."

Makoto shook her head in confusion.

"What are you talking about?"

"I know!" He bellowed. The short moment of silence that followed felt deafening. His next words, while not as loud still packed enough anger to make Nephrite's pupil's thin slightly. "I know everything. You can give it up already. Stop pretending."

"Pretending what?!" Makoto was starting to return his anger. She was only trying to help! Where was this coming from?

"Bancroft told me all about your little game." He hissed at her.

"What game?!"

"You know, you really fooled me." Nephrite gave a wry smile and began to rummage through the rest of the desk drawers talking over his shoulder. "Congratulations. You should be getting a nice promotion after this right? Little office upstairs? Won't have to deal with _the creature _anymore, that's for sure."

Makoto stood still staring incomprehensibly trying to make his words make sense while Nephrite finally found what he was looking for. A pair of pants. A distant part of Makoto's mind was slightly disappointed as he shook out the blue nurse scrubs and shoved a leg in.

Nephrite thought she was pretending to work for Bancroft? That didn't make any sense. He thinks she fooled him. How? When had she lied to him? Makoto thought hard at every conversation they had had to figure out what he was referring to.

She couldn't figure it out.

But wait. He said that Bancroft had told him the truth. And Makoto knew well enough by now that you couldn't trust a word out of that woman's mouth.

"What did Bancroft tell you?" She asked.

Nephrite was now half dressed- although he was still shirtless- Makoto wondered what he would even look like fully dressed. He turned to give her his full attention. Placing his hands on the desk and leaning forward his icy blue eyes had a whole new level of intensity on land.

"The truth." He said.

"What truth?" Makoto rolled her eyes in exasperation as she approached the other side of the desk.

"What's the matter, doc? Frustrated that I'm not your willing little sea monkey anymore? I'm done letting you manipulate me. I'm finding my own way out of here and you and Bancroft and all the evil pieces of shit that work here can kiss my ass!"

Nephrite pushed off the desk and made his way around it heading towards the door. Finally understanding, Makoto rushed to stand in front of him. Nephrite stopped before he could touch her.

"She told you I was lying. She told you that I was pretending to be nice to you to get information?"

"Nice to hear you admit it." Nephrite tried to be cold, but Makoto could see the smile he forced on his face was too tight to not be hiding some pain behind it.

"I'm not admitting anything! Neph, you know that Bancroft is a liar. Think about it!"

"I have thought about it!" Nephrite yelled in her face. "That's all I've done is think about it! Think about how distant you'd get when I'd get close. Think about how easily I let my guard down around you. What an idiot I was to trust a woman who would jump into a tank with a predatory animal! As if anyone could be that stupid!"

Makoto's gave a small offended gasp.

"It might have been stupid," she yelled back in his face, "but I was right! You didn't kill me, did you?!"

"I should have!" Their noses were almost touching.

"Well then have at it!" Makoto spread her arms out. "Here's your big chance, you stupid fish! Kill me, if that's what you want!"

Nephrite grabbed her upper arms forcefully but Makoto didn't flinch. She stared into his eyes, defiant and self righteous. They both breathed heavily, Nephrite through clenched teeth and Makoto through her wrinkled nose.

"What are you waiting for?" Makoto challenged.

"You're not worth it." Nephrite said, obviously looking to hurt her.

"I'm not worth it or you love me too much to hurt me?"

"That's exactly what you wanted, wasn't it?" His voice was by no means soft, but the fire in his tone had died down. He was hurt and it was killing Makoto, but she needed him to hurt to see the truth.

"Nephrite, I never lied to you." Makoto said. Nephrite scoffed and she kept insisting. "I never pretended to be anything other than what I am. That's why I couldn't tell you I loved you earlier tonight. I didn't realize that I did."

"And what? You do now? You had a great big epiphany in the last 3 hours and suddenly you love me?" He said mockingly.

"Don't cheapen it." Makoto tried to not let her eyes water. Even if she was trying to convince him of the truth, she didn't want to look weak in the situation they found themselves in.

"How can you cheapen a lie? It's worthless." Nephrite let go of her arms and walked around her.

Makoto blinked rapidly trying to rid her eyes of the tears threatening to overflow. How could he believe Bancroft so easily?

"How could you know me so little?" Makoto whispered a little brokenly.

"That's the problem, doc. I know you too well."

Makoto whirled around at that and found Nephrite staring back at her, blue eyes sparkling in the dim lighting. The look of total anguish on his face broke her reserve and Makoto cursed herself as she felt a tear fall.

"Then think about what you're saying." She took a step closer to him. "You were listening to me rant day in and day out about my life back when you were pretending not to hear me." She said with a rueful smile covered now in tears.

"You knew I could hear you the whole time." He shook his head not wanting to be swayed by her again.

"You think that if I knew you could hear me that I would have been singing that badly to Adele? That _loudly_?"

Nephrite looked away, not taking the bait to laugh.

"You know, I don't think I hit a single note in Rolling in the Deep. How did you keep a straight face during that?"

Makoto saw his lip twitch and took another step closer.

"I wasn't pretending. If I had been, I would have come up with something a little better than pathetically complaining about my ex-boyfriend for hours at a time."

Nephrite turned back to her then.

"That just proves you're lying to me. How can you say you love me when I know so well that you're in love with him?"

Makoto smiled which only made Nephrite frown.

"Andrew proposed to me tonight."

Nephrite's tight face went slack at her statement.

"Congratulations." He said after a moment and turned to try and leave once again.

Makoto rushed forward and around him. Stopping him once again, this time she put her hands gently on his arms. Nephrite refused to look down at her but that didn't stop Makoto from speaking.

"I said no." That got his attention.

There was clear disbelief in his eyes.

"Why would you say no?"

"Besides the fact that he's a total dingus?" Makoto laughed. "I've learned a lot about myself since he broke up with me. I learned that I wasn't wrong for being upset. That I'm not selfish for caring about my career. That if a person truly loved me they'd love me for my flaws, not in spite of them. That I have to think of *me* sometimes too.

Neph, you've taught me to roll with the punches. To trust again. That's it okay to be vulnerable. That when you love someone, their needs come first. So whether you believe me or not, I am going to get you to the ocean. ...or just out of this facility. The whole you-got-legs thing is still throwing me for a loop."

Makoto felt that she was laid out bare for him to accept or reject. This was the most vulnerable she had ever been, but it didn't scare her. Because it didn't matter whether he loved her back or not, because she still loved him. And when you love someone you don't abandon them because they don't feel the same way.

She looked at him softly, eyelashes still wet and she wished she could stop sniffling. She also wished she could tell what he was thinking. Nephrite hadn't ever been one to hide his emotions but the poker face he was shooting her now was a pretty damn good one.

"Oh!" Makoto said suddenly remembering she had yet to voice it and making him blink at the exclamation. "Also, because I love you. Can't marry someone if I'm in love with someone else. That's a pretty big no-no."

Nephrite took a deep breath and Makoto could tell by the way his eyes roamed her face that he was deliberating. Somehow she had felt *she* was the one inside the tank now, being studied.

"You really turned him down?"

"He was floored. And a little offended." Makoto laughed remembering. "He was there waiting for me when I got home. He and his girlfriend had a fight and he thought he could just come running back and I'd be waiting with open arms."

"It wasn't that long ago that you would have been." He pointed out skeptically.

"True. A week ago I probably would have accepted. But now… everything's so different. And then I thought about you, and how you make me feel."

"How's that?" He asked, his breath a little hitched, trying not to seem too eager.

"Like sea breeze." Makoto breathed.

Whatever Nephrite had been searching in her face for he found in her answer. Gone were the cold eyes he had fixed on her since waking up. Gone was the harsh set of his jaw. There was nothing but pure affection in his eyes as he swooped down to wrap an arm around her waist and bury a hand in her hair as he closed the distance between their lips.

If Makoto was startled at first, it didn't last long. She threw her arms around his neck and when Nephrite lifted her against him and Makoto didn't hesitate in wrapping her legs around him.

This kiss didn't feel like the others. There was no purpose to this kiss other than just to feel the other against them. Neither held back for fear of being awkward or forcing themselves on the other. Nephrite held her up around the waist with one arm while the other roamed and squeezed her back and shoulders. Makoto dug her hands in this hair, held his head with just the right amount of pressure as she squeezed her legs around him.

They weren't gentle with the other, they weren't careful of what the other might think. They kissed with abandon, allowing their actions to speak their feelings. And when Nephrite slipped his tongue inside of Makoto's mouth it somehow felt more magical than when he did so with the intention of altering her lungs for aquatic conditions.

Their moment had lasted but a few seconds when they both froze against each other's lips at the sound of a gun cocking.

With slow movements, Makoto and Nephrite separated from the other. Careful not to drop her, he slowly let go of her waist as she untangled her legs from him and slip down the length of his body. Makoto didn't look up to where the sound had come from until she was steady on the ground. The sight that awaited her made her blood boil.

Bancroft stood with a trail of red liquid making its way down her forehead, and a gun pointed at them.

"Well isn't that sweet." Her voice was acid as she swayed lightly in her stiletto heels.

"Beryl… what are you doing?" Makoto said being careful to not make sudden moves.

"Shut up, Makoto." Bancroft yelled. "I'm done playing nice with you seaweed piece of trash! Turn me into a mermaid _now!_"

"I can't help you, Beryl." Nephrite stated in a tired voice. Makoto wondered how many times he had already told her the same thing.

"_Turn me!_" She shouted. "Turn me or I swear to God I will kill her!" Bancroft pointed the gun at Makoto, her eyes wild and her hands shaky.

Nephrite took a step forward and Bancroft shook her gun, making him freeze.

"I am not fucking with you! Turn me or I will shoot her."

Makoto could feel Nephrite's muscles tense beneath her hands.

"Don't do anything, Neph." Makoto stated calmly.

"I'm not risking you, Makoto." His voice was steel.

"She's not going to do anything." Makoto started to move forward. Nephrite reached out and grabbed her shoulder to hold her back, but Makoto shook him off. "She's not going to shoot me."

"Wanna bet, bitch?" Bancroft bit out. "What makes you think I'm worried about getting rid of some orphan no one will miss? What? Did you really think I hired you because of your 'genius'? I hired you because you were the only young female that didn't leave after three hours. What kind of a desperate fool waits an entire day for a job interview? You mean nothing to me. I was meant to be queen of all the ocean."

Makoto stood a few feet from Bancroft, not letting the words of a madwoman get to her.

"The only thing you're gonna be queen of, Bancroft, is queen of your cell block. After we get out of here, I'm going straight to the authorities to let them know exactly what's been going on here _and_ to tell them you're the one that's been housing Tomoe. I hope you look good in orange, but with that hair?"

Bancroft's eyes narrowed to slits, her lip curled to bare teeth before letting out a guttural shriek and pulling the trigger.

_CLICK_

Makoto stood with a bored look on her face, completely unharmed.

Bancroft, enraged, confused and panting, pulled the trigger again. And again.

_Click._

_Click_

_Click. Click. Click._

Makoto, whole and with no extra holes in her body, took two steps and punched Bancroft in the face. Bancroft dropped the gun-which Makoto kicked away- and covered her nose with her hands as she screamed in pain.

"I must have forgotten to mention that I found your gun while you were unconscious and emptied the cylinder. I'll also have to add attempted murder when I go to the police."

Bancroft was still clutching her face and bending over in pain when Makoto walked past her and towards the tank. She reached in and grabbed the metal collar that used to be around Nephrite's neck. It wasn't difficult at all to wrap the metal collar around her neck as the redhead was too distracted in her pain and screaming obscenities to realize what Makoto was doing.

Once she realized, however, Bancroft's anger tripled. She reached out for Makoto who jumped back and had to hurry backwards towards Nephrite. Bancroft rushed to them, claw-like hands stretched trying to catch any part of the woman that had chained her. She had not been paying attention to her speed nor the chain's length and was therefore taken off her feet as the collar reached its limit.

"Argh!" Bancroft grunted as she flew backwards.

She continued to scream as she tried to pry the collar from her neck. "_GET THIS OFF OF ME, THIS INSTANT KINO OR YOU'RE FIRED!_"

Makoto almost laughed.

"Don't worry, Bancroft. The police will trade that necklace in for some lovely silver bracelets."

Bancroft looked back at Makoto alarmed and changed her tactics. "Now, Kino. Think about what you're doing. If you call the police, they'll have to close down the centre. Think about all the creatures who wouldn't receive our help!"

"You mean creatures like Nephrite? Whom you enslaved, tortured, and almost killed?"

Seeing that threats and sympathy weren't working, Bancroft changed angles yet again.

"Being a mermaid comes with immortality." Makoto looked Bancroft in the eyes confused. "Did you think he was born that way? He wasn't. He was given this gift!"

Makoto was stricken silent. She looked back at Nephrite in his human body with human legs, no gills at his sides, no scales peppered across his skin. Nothing but a perfectly normal human being. Nephrite did not take his eyes away from the chained woman on the ground. His expression a perfect poker face.

"They all were. They're keeping this secret to themselves! The wretched selfish beasts that they are. Take this collar off of me and we'll figure it out together. We'll get the secret and both of us will rule _everything_. Don't you want to live forever, Kino? Young and beautiful and powerful?"

Makoto stepped in Bancroft's direction and saw Nephrite tense from the corner of her eye. Bancroft smiled, smug and triumphant.

"I knew you were a smart girl, Kino. Get this off of me and we'll take the secret. Together we will rule."

Bancroft smiled eagerly as she strained her neck waiting for Makoto to release her. Makoto approached, being careful to stay out of the redhead's reach, and reached over a desk where Bancroft's cellphone had been lying.

Bancroft realized Makoto had never actually wanted to help her and resumed her crazed screaming. She insulted Makoto's looks and intelligence, threatened her job and her life, she insulted Nephrite's pride and promised revenge. Bancroft kept a steady stream of expletives going even as the couple held hands and walked out of the room, leaving her to wait for the police to show up.


	15. Chapter 14 - Leaving

"Yes, I'll be waiting in the parking lot… I'm sure she can breathe fine… Right, okay. I'll be waiting. Thanks."

Makoto hung up the call with the police and put the phone in her back pocket. How a person like Beryl Bancroft didn't have a lock on her phone was beyond her, but it saved her a trip going back down to the lab for her phone. The less amount of time she and Nephrite spent inside the facility, the better.

Nephrite followed closely behind her, unfamiliar with his surroundings and where they were going.

"We just have to take the stairs up. That machine they were using on you was messing with the electricity in the whole building and the last thing I want to do is get stuck in an elevator."

"Agreed." Nephrite spoke quietly.

They began climbing the 5 stories at a leisurely pace.

"So…" Makoto spoke after a couple of flights in silence. "You got legs, huh? That's new."

Everything felt so awkward. Just a few moments ago they had been confessing their love for each other- or at least she had been- and now it felt as if she couldn't even look him in the eyes anymore.

"It's not really," he said. "There's a lot I haven't told you."

"Clearly."

"But I can start now," he paused in their climbing causing her to finally meet his eyes. "I want to tell you everything."

Unsure, she only said, "Okay."

Nephrite took a few steps, resuming their ascent, before beginning his story.

"I was born in New Orleans, Louisiana… in 1921."

Makoto tripped over a step and Nephrite reached out to steady her.

"Nineteen...twenty-one?! How old are you?"

"Technically? Twenty-seven."

"In _reality_," Makoto exclaimed.

"...ninety-eight?" Nephrite winced.

Makoto's jaw dropped. "You're ancient!"

"I am not! Everything freezes once you turn! Hell, even my maturity level hasn't changed."

"Ew! You're like twilight! Creeping on poor naive teenagers to have your geriatric way with!"

"You're hardly a teenager, doc. And do I look old to you?!"

"Alright, crypt keeper. Continue your story before you turn to dust."

Nephrite rolled his eyes but continued.

"I lived a normal human life. Worked in Grand Isle doing landscaping for the old monies until I got drafted."

"Drafted as in…" Makoto trailed off unable to state the reality.

"Normandy. D-Day," Nephrite stated seriously.

Makoto stopped walking.

"You were there?" She asked quietly.

Nephrite looked at her, more stoic than she had ever seen him and dismal.

"I lost a lot of friends that day."

Makoto reached for his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. Nephrite turned his hand and entwined their fingers before pulling her forward to keep walking.

"I was in Germany for a year. It doesn't sound like much time compared to how long the conflict lasted, but that year felt like centuries."

"I can't imagine." Makoto said quietly. Nephrite gave her hand a small squeeze.

"There was only one thing that kept me going. Marion." His voice turned longing and Makoto felt a small pang of jealousy at the way his eyes softened. "She was my sweetheart. I kept her picture in my pocket and a letter she wrote me before I left. I must have read that letter ten thousand times. By the end the words were mostly faded but it didn't matter. I had memorized it. The thought of seeing her again was the only thing that kept me from going mad.

"I believed in the war and that it was my duty not just to my country but to the world to set things right. But we didn't get a moment's rest. None of us really slept that year. I suspect some of them never got a good night's rest for many years. But I had Marion's picture. I had Marion's promise that she would run away with me when I came back.

"Marion was the daughter of an oil tycoon that lived in Grand Isle. Her daddy was a mean ol' bastard. Wanted Marion to marry old money, like him. He didn't like me any. Chased me with a shotgun once. But he didn't stop us from meeting secretly in the middle of the night.

"The night I got my orders, she promised me we'd get married when I came back. Promised we'd leave for New York and make a life for ourselves there." Nephrite paused as they reached the top of the stairwell and stood in front of a door marked exit.

"I haven't been outside in months," he said.

"Sky's still blue," Makoto said in a mock serious voice. She couldn't remember the last time he smiled, it must have been days now. It was odd seeing the easygoing man so tense.

It turned out to be the right thing to say because his lips began to stretch into a smirk.

"You're funny, doc."

"Open the door, Neph."

Nephrite hesitated. He shook his head.

"Let me finish the story first."

Makoto looked at him curiously. "Okay," she said.

Nephrite turned around and sat on the top step. Makoto followed.

"What happened when you came back?"

"She had gotten married."

"Oh, no," Makoto gasped.

Nephrite nodded. "Some rich draft dodger. Turns out he had been courting her during the day when I was at work. They must have gotten married a week after I left. She'd already had a kid when I came back."

"What a tramp!" Makoto couldn't help the outburst.

Nephrite laughed. Makoto looked at him shocked at his amusement.

"It's not funny! What kind of a person does that? Lead someone one when you're seeing someone else? Lie to someone leaving for war?! It's a rotten thing to do!"

"Maybe. She said she was trying to give me something to live for, to fight my way back alive. She said if I could survive war, I could survive losing her. She was partly right. Having her promise made me more careful. But losing her was worse than the war.

"I became a bum. Moved back to New Orleans and lived at the bottom of a bottle. I was a poor excuse for a man. But that was when I met Mamoru.

"He was in town for Mardi Gras. He was unfamiliar with the area, with the riff raff. I saw him get pick pocketed by a local thug and returned his wallet to him after slugging the thief. Mamoru was impressed at how I had spotted the crime and how smoothly I moved, he never saw any of it happened. Simply saw me hand him back his wallet while the guy that had bumped into him was doubled over in a corner.

"He tried befriending me and I pushed him away. When he realized the way to my friendship was through a bar, things got a lot easier. For both of us. He asked me to show him around town. I didn't have anything better to do and he said he'd pay for my entertainment. Little did I know he was working me the whole time.

"It didn't take long for me to spill my guts to him about Marion.

"He was so happy about my heartache the man actually laughed. I would have slugged him if Kunzite hadn't been there. Kunzite is his right hand man. I'm slightly taller and burlier, but he's...scary."

Makoto laughed at the way he shivered at the memory.

"Turned out, Mamoru was happy because it meant I had nothing keeping me on land. I didn't understand what he meant. Who would? He and Kunzite stayed in town for a few weeks. Sobered me up. Then took me back to Grand Isle.

"I didn't realize where we were headed until we were already there. I did swing at Kunzite that time. Landed straight on my ass too." He turned to Makoto to clarify. "Don't get me wrong. I got better and I've taken Kunzite down plenty of times. ...A couple of times."

Makoto laughed and patted his arm.

"After I calmed down they showed me why they took me to the beach. They showed me who they were. Explained that Mamoru was the ruler of a civilization long forgotten about. They kept their people safe by keeping everyone else ignorant of their existence.

"They spent most of their time in the ocean, but each one of them needs to come up to land every now and then to maintain their humanity. They explained that merpeople walk among us every day without us knowing. I thought I had gotten into the absinthe again," he laughed.

"He then offered me the chance to go with them. I looked back at Grand Isle. I thought about my life. Where I was going? I realized I had nothing. Until Mamoru and Kunzite, my days revolved around getting drunk enough to pass out. I still wasn't sure I wasn't hallucinating, but I figured what did it matter? I went with them and never looked back."

"Wow. That's...incredible. So then, the girl you rescued?"

"Mamoru's wife."

"The queen that Bancroft hates."

"Exactly. Mamoru met Bancroft shortly before he met Usagi. He thought he saw sadness in her. Maybe she had been sad, I don't know. I didn't know her before. Mamoru was trying to see if she would benefit from joining us. Was planning on telling her and turning her. Kunzite protested since we hadn't met her but Mamoru has a bad habit of turning people without telling us. His heart is too soft. Thankfully, it's worked out in his favor 9 out of 10 times. And it certainly worked in his favor when he met Usagi.

"How he found someone with a heart softer than his, I'll never know. Turned her on the first day. I thought Kunzite was going to pop a vessel- which we all pointed out to him, was extremely hypocritical seeing as he met his wife, married her, and then turned her in that order in all of one night back in the 60's, not that he paid any attention to us.

"But then we met Usagi and saw what Mamoru saw. A truly kind person with a heart of gold. It was practically love at first sight and they were married by the end of the week.

"The problem was, Mamoru had forgotten about Bancroft. He went back with Usagi to offer her our way of life. He hadn't realized Bancroft had become obsessed with him. That she had found out the truth about us. Had been preparing for a proposal, not for him to come with his bride. Bancroft went mad. Swore she'd find us and destroy everything.

"And that day, she almost won. But I saw her coming and was able to push Usagi out of the way. I've been stuck here ever since. I'm sure they've searched everywhere for me."

"Then let's not keep them waiting anymore." Makoto said with a small smile and tugged his hand.

Nephrite didn't move. He didn't speak and his silence unnerved her.

"Neph?"

He looked at her.

"Why are you telling me all of this if it's supposed to be a secret?" She asked.

His blue eyes roamed her face before taking a deep breath and replying. "Because I want- because I love you."

Makoto felt her whole face set on fire and couldn't hold back a grin. His somber face lifted and he smiled too.

"We gotta go," she said.

"Okay. Let's go."

Together they stood up and opened the door leading to the parking lot. Just a few feet from where Makoto spent every morning watching the sunrise. It was beginning to brighten outside. It wouldn't be long before the dawn broke.

"Neph, you've got to go."

"I know," he said.

"Bancroft will post bail. She'll be after you, after your king and queen. You've got to warn them."

"I know," he said.

They walked to the edge of the cliff to watch the water begin to glitter with morning. Her eyes welled up and she struggled to speak.

"I-I'm going to m-miss you."

"You don't have to," he said.

Makoto looked up at him, confused.

"Neph, you can't stay."

"I'm not talking about me staying."

"What are you-" she stopped speaking as she understood his meaning, her jaw slightly agape.

"Come with me, doc." He held her hands to his chest.

"I-I can't just leave."

"Why not?" His smile mesmerized her. He was so sure of himself, of her. How could he so confident in that she would just agree to run away with him.

Had he been this sure about Marion? She didn't run away with him either. Marion had lied to Neph about her feelings, but Makoto had not. Makoto loved Nephrite with all her heart and the thought of him leaving had been killing her for days. Now that she had the chance to stay with him, she was hesitating. Why?

What did she have to hesitate about? She no longer had a job, she lived alone with very few friends- none of which truly kept up with her. The highlights of her days had always been the sunrise until Neph came along.

She had forgotten what being happy felt like. She wondered what her parents would have thought about this.

Makoto looked out to the ocean shining like jewels. An entire world waiting to be explored. Her parents would have wanted her to be happy.

"You're right," she whispered.

His hands tightened around hers. His smile the widest she had ever seen it.

"You'll love it," he said.

Excited and nervous and filled to the brim with emotion, Makoto laughed.

Nephrite released her hands and cupped her face. He gave her a quick but hard kiss, he then looked up and Makoto saw his widen in horror. Before she could question him, Nephrite shoved her to the ground and landed on top of her. She hit her head and became completely disoriented.

Her breath had been slightly knocked out of her. She was extremely confused. Her head hurt. Makoto opened her eyes after impact to see glitter all around them.

It was so pretty but what was happening? Why was there gold everywhere? There was something heavy on top of her. Something burned her arm. It wasn't glitter, they were sparks.

Where were the sparks coming from? Nephrite was on top of her. She saw his lips moving but she couldn't make out exactly what he was saying, he sounded so far away. Where were the sparks coming from? She felt like that needed to be answered for her to understand what was happening.

Makoto searched where the sparks were coming from and saw a metal pole embedded in the electrical box on the lamp post near them. Hadn't they been standing there? Was that a harpoon?

"Makoto! Can you get up?!" Nephrite sounded clearer now. He was trying to help her. Because he pushed her down. Because he saw something coming. It must have been the harpoon. Someone must have shot at them. But who?

Makoto looked past Nephrite and understood everything all too well. Tomoe had been waiting for them outside and now he was coming back to finish the job.

"Neph!" She managed to shout.

Nephrite looked back and saw Tomoe coming towards them, another harpoon in hand, raised and ready to bring down. Nephrite jumped to his feet and stopped Tomoe's hand by the wrist. The two men wrestled until the weapon was dropped with a vibrating clang. Nephrite then stepped back and landed a solid punch on the mad doctor's nose. Tomoe fell unconscious on the ground.

Relief flooded her at the sight of Nephrite coming back to her unharmed. The world was coming back into full focus and with it the fear of the fire the sparks had caused around them.

"Are you okay?" Nephrite asked when he reached her. He helped her stand up.

"I think so, yeah. Are you? He didn't hurt you did he?"

"No, I'm fine. Come on, we need to go." Nephrite pulled her towards the edge of the cliff where the path leading down began. Waves crashed against the rocks a hundred feet below them.

"But what about Tomoe? We need to call the police!"

"You already called the police. Let them deal with him." Nephrite insisted, pulling her hands towards the path.

Makoto resisted. "He'll escape, Neph."

"I don't care, Makoto," his voice hard. "I want to get out of here. I want to get _you _out of here. Come with me. Please." His voice softened with the last word.

Makoto hesitated before realizing he was right. The police were already on their way. Beryl was chained. Nephrite had knocked Tomoe unconscious and he was far away enough from the flames. And Nephrite loved her. And she loved him.

Makoto's lips slowly lifted as her heart swelled with emotion and excitement of how her life was about to change completely.

And it did.

Because in that moment Makoto felt a whoosh of air move her hair and heard a dull _thud_.

Nephrite's eyes went wide and his mouth parted. Makoto looked down to see a thin metal tube sticking out of his upper chest.

It took a moment for her to understand what happened and it's a moment too long because Nephrite stumbled back towards the edge. She reached out to catch him just a fraction of a second too late, her fingers brushing his chest and he disappeared from sight.

The shriek that had been lodged in her throat since she saw the metal sticking from his chest finally came out. It left her throat raw. Makoto threw herself on her knees, grasped the edge of the cliff and looked down, praying to God he somehow missed the rocks.

All she saw were waves crashing. Eternities passed in seconds until she couldn't see anything through her tears. Her sobbing was loud and guttural and she began to hyperventilate.

The sound of metal above called her attention and she saw Nephrite's murderer preparing himself to take another shot. At what, she didn't know, but she also didn't care.

Makoto rushed up and with another shriek and tackled Tomoe down.

"Stupid bitch!" Tomoe grunted.

Makoto pulled her arm back and swung on his temple. His face jerked to the side but it didn't leave him down for long. He kicked her in the stomach and Makoto fell over coughing.

Holding her stomach and trying to catch her breath, she looked up and winced hard as she spied Tomoe's foot coming at her again. It landed in her stomach and Makoto couldn't breathe.

He walked over to pick up his discarded gun.

"Stay down or I'll have to put one of these in you too," he said gesturing at the harpoon gun in his hand.

Makoto managed to get wisps of air down her throat.

She saw him cock the harpoon in place and walk past the small fires next to the lamp post that still sparked wildly.

He aimed over the cliff and she saw him give a demented smile.

Coughing, Makoto pushed herself up. His back was turned towards her and he was careful to stay away from the livewire flailing next to him.

She couldn't make out everything he was saying but the words "I'll see you in hell, fish," were loud and clear in Makoto's ears.

Makoto got her balance and ran forward, tackling Tomoe into the lamp post.

Tomoe screamed. Makoto held him there.

He gritted his teeth through his shrieks. She felt her entire body seizing.

His howls almost sounded inhuman. She never knew pain like this.

He wasn't making noise anymore. She didn't feel pain either.


	16. Chapter 15 - Epilogue

Waves crashed in the distance. Seagulls squalled above her. Sea breeze cooled her skin and Makoto felt content.

She was laying in the sand, catching some sun. The rays shone almost clear through her eyelids. It was so bright even though she had her eyes closed. She felt a little cold, despite the sun. She couldn't really hear the waves anymore. Makoto's hands ached. She opened her eyes and shut them quickly again. It was too bright. Slowly she blinked her eyes open and saw the fluorescent bulbs above her. She was lying in a bright white room.

"You're awake," a male voice said. Makoto turned her head, hope and love swelling in her chest. Blue eyes met hers and she felt her eyes swell with tears.

"Andrew," she choked out. "Where's Nephrite?"

"Makoto, don't try to talk, I'll go get the nurse." Andrew rushed out of the room without answering her.

She tried to sit up, to look around but her body ached. Her hands were wrapped to her elbows in white gauze.

Where was Nephrite? Had he already gone back to the ocean? Without even saying goodbye? He wouldn't do that, would he?

An older woman in colorful scrubs came into the room.

"Ah, Dr. Kino! You worried us for a minute there. Why don't you lie back down, sweetie. Your body needs its rest," she said.

"Where's Nephrite?" Makoto asked again, impatiently.

"I don't know who Nephrite is, but if you don't lie back down you'll only make yourself worse," the nurse replied.

"They found you alone, Mako." Andrew stood behind the nurse, his hands in his pocket and a frown on his brow.

What did Andrew mean they found her? Why did she need to be found? Why was she in the hospital? She had rescued Nephrite. They had escaped. No one had been hurt. He had even asked her to… to…

Makoto's world came crashing down.

"Enough of that. There will be plenty of time to get answers as I've already told the police officers waiting outside. Right now what Dr. Kino needs is rest."

Makoto barely heard what they discussed or what the nurse asked her. How could she focus on what was being said when she remembered what happened?

Tomoe had shot Nephrite with a harpoon. Nephrite had tumbled a hundred feet into the ocean. Into the rocks…

Makoto began to cry and the nurse asked her if she was in pain. She couldn't answer her back. All she could do was curl into herself and sob.

Nephrite was gone. _

After crying for hours, Makoto fell into a fitful sleep. She dreamt of him smiling and laughing, free in the ocean. She woke up alone in a cold room that smelled like bleach. Andrew was asleep in the chair next to her.

"Drew?" Her voice was low and felt raw.

He didn't stir.

"Andrew," she spoke louder.

This time he heard her and sat up to look at her.

"Mako," he said alert. "Are you alright? What happened? The hospital called me because I was still your emergency contact. I thought you died! They didn't think you were going to make it!"

"Slow down, Drew," she said trying to sit up.

Andrew stood and helped her get in a comfortable position before sitting on the edge of the bed.

"The police found you unconscious, surrounded by fire and that criminal! I thought you were going to go to your boyfriend's house. What happened?"

"Where's Tomoe now?"

"He's alive. But he's in critical condition. Second degree burns covering most of his body. Doctors don't know if he's going to make it. Police said you were lucky, the flames had engulfed him but hadn't reached you when they got on the scene. What were you doing with him?"

Makoto felt guilty for a moment. She had caused some of those burns when she pushed him into the livewire. Then she remembered Tomoe had killed Nephrite and she felt all remorse disappear.

"What about Bancroft? Did they find her?"

"Yeah," Andrew answered, his expression uncomfortable. "The found her chained up with a metal collar, of all things. They arrested her for aiding and abetting Tomoe and a whole slew of other stuff. What was going on in that lab, Mako? The police found some really weird things."

"Did they find anything else? Anyone else?"

Andrew shook his head slowly, probably afraid of her breaking down again. "Just the three of you."

Makoto nodded, having expected the answer.

"Are the police still here?" Makoto felt detached from the entire situation. Her only focus, making sure Bancroft and Tomoe were brought to justice and the centre was shut down permanently.

"No, they said they'd come back in the morning. Are you going to tell me anything? Believe it or not, I've been worried sick about you. Just because we're not together anymore doesn't mean I don't still care for you."

Makoto placed her bandaged hand on top of his. "Thank you for being here, Drew. It really means a lot. Did you talk to Reika?"

Andrew looked surprised before he nodded. "Uh, yeah. We're both going to Africa in two weeks. Thank you, by the way. I can't believe I almost lost her."

Makoto gave him a small smile. "I'm glad you two lovebirds worked it out." She knew her tone sounded sarcastic, but she didn't _not _mean it. She wished Andrew the best, and she was truly happy for him. At least she would have been if it didn't feel like her heart had been ripped out of her chest.

"Mako. What happened to Nephrite?" Andrew asked gently.

She felt her eyes well up again and felt her throat start to ache. She swallowed a few times and Andrew held her hand tighter.

"Tomoe...killed him."

"What?!" Andrew exclaimed. "We have to tell the police! Why would he do that?!"

"No. Drew, no. Listen to me. We can't tell the police anything about Nephrite."

"What do you mean we can't tell the police? A man has been murdered! If you hide it, you'll be locked up in a cell right next to Bancroft!"

"Drew." Makoto said firmly. "No one can know about Nephrite. There's no evidence of him having existed anyway."

"What, like he was an illegal?" He asked confused.

"Sort of. But you could put a whole slew of other people in danger if you say anything. Do you understand?"

Andrew was silent for a few moments before he nodded. "Of course."

Makoto was in tremendous amounts of pain, both physical and emotional, but she wouldn't let it stop her from doing what needed to be done.

"The best thing I can do now for Neph is make sure Bancroft and Tomoe never see the outside of a cell ever again." _

**Los Angeles Tribune**

May 8th, 2019

**Marine Life Center Shut Down**

Beryl Bancroft, age 32, heir of Bancroft Oil Enterprises and CEO of Bancroft Oceans Research and Recovery Organization has been found guilty of fraud, aiding and abetting, attempted homicide, and cruelty against animals. She has been sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. The ruling comes down a year after her initial arrest when she was found chained by the neck in a secret basement of the recovery center. Bancroft was surrounded by experimentation devices where animals were clearly being tortured. A gun was also found near Bancroft, though it was not loaded, it was reported that Bancroft did attempt to shoot someone after threatening their life.

Dr. Makoto Kino was the key witness in the trial to bring down the corrupt center. Dr. Kino discovered the company she was working for had a dark truth at its core and set out to rectify it. In her research she discovered that Bancroft had been harboring Dr. Souichi Tomoe who had skipped bail pending his animal cruelty and human rights violations, including torture on his own daughter. A dig into Bancroft's bank records revealed herself to be the mad scientist's anonymous 12 million dollar benefactor.

Dr. Tomoe was also found at the scene and sustained many injuries, including 2nd degree burns on most of his body. The burns were a result of Dr. Kino having pushed Dr. Tomoe into a live wire in order to stop the assault he was inflicting. Dr. Tomoe survived his injuries though remains paralyzed from the neck down. He has also been found guilty of his crimes and sentenced to life in prison without parole.

His daughter has come out of witness protection program and has been adopted by the women who were fostering her. She is said to be adjusting to her new life very happily.

Makoto used the newspaper to wrap around the flowers she was carrying to the ocean. She had terminated her lease and packed her few belongings into her station wagon, readying herself to drive east in search of a new life.

She couldn't stay in LA any longer. She'd lost too much in the state and couldn't stand to live there any longer. Not without a job, friends, or family. Andrew checked in every now and then until Makoto told him to focus on his own life. She was glad that she and he could be friends, but it was still a little weird considering she was going to marry him at some point. Makoto forgave him for all that he had done and told him to not worry so much as she'd be fine.

It was her parents' anniversary. She couldn't leave without saying goodbye to them one last time… and saying goodbye to Nephrite.

His name had been left out of all accounts, for which she was grateful for. Tomoe's speech came out garbled and no one understood when he started ranting about mermaids. Bancroft kept suspiciously quiet about the matter. Makoto suspected it was because she wasn't done plotting. Thankfully the merpeople would have at least 25 years to prepare for her.

Makoto had done the best she could in the last year, to mourn Nephrite and move on, but realized in the last month that she wouldn't be able to do so without physically moving from the state. With a heavy heart, Makoto said goodbye to her apartment and carried the bouquets of flowers to her car.

It was early morning and there weren't many people at the beach yet. Makoto walked to the pier and waited to see the rays of sunlight hit the water. The air was cool and the waves were lapping softly against the wood. Makoto took a deep breath and began her goodbyes.

"Hi mom. Hi dad. Happy anniversary. I'm afraid I've got some bad news. The last year,..the last year has been very difficult. Remember that job I had told you about? Well, turns out it wasn't all that it was cracked up to be. My boss was a lunatic who was helping out an even crazier lunatic. Things got a little dangerous for a minute there, but don't worry! I'm fine. Well. Mostly.

"My hands were a little damaged, but they healed well. Just some light scarring, nothing to be concerned about. The emotional toll it took on me was a bit more noteworthy. You see, I met someone. You would have loved him… I did." Makoto stopped speaking as she tried to hold back the tears she felt coming.

She took a couple of deep breaths and tried to let the sound of the ocean calm her down. It would have been easier if there hadn't been a group of people some meters down along the shore laughing so loudly. She turned to give them an annoyed glance, not that they noticed. Who would even be at the beach so early?

She watched the men and women all smiling and laughing, playing in the sand without a care in the world. Makoto's annoyed look softened to longing. She wondered if she would ever feel that happy again.

"Mom, dad. I'm leaving. I'm sorry but I have to get out of here. I think a change of scenery is in order. I love you both and carry you with me always." Makoto dropped the bouquet of sunflowers into the ocean.

She held tighter to the bouquet of roses left in her hands.

"Hey Neph," saying his name hurt her almost physically. "I'm sorry I haven't visited at all. I couldn't seem to bring myself to face you. To say goodbye.

"Bancroft won't be bothering anyone for a while. Tomoe's been put away for good. I've made sure they closed the lab. No other animals, or people, will be hurt there again. And, uh… I'm leaving, Neph.

"Found a job in an aquarium. It's entry level, nothing fancy. They'll probably have me cleaning the tanks. But it's okay. It's something. Maybe I'll rescue some other mythical creature." Makoto chuckled lightly but the laugh turned into tears. "Oh, Neph. I _miss_ you."

"I've missed you too, doc."

Makoto squeezed her eyes shut. How many times had she dreamed of him still being alive? When would she stop?

"You can't follow me out of California," she told him.

"Was thinking more like you could follow me out," he replied. His voice sounded amused. Makoto wished he were actually around so she could smack him for laughing at her.

"I've got to move on, Neph. And I can't do that by staying here. I can't do that by letting you haunt my dreams. I don't think I'm even dreaming right now which means you're starting to haunt my life. I have to let you go."

"I think you gotta be dead in order to haunt someone, doc."

Makoto gave a small chuckle. "You know, you're a lot less annoying when I'm asleep. But I'm glad my memory of you is so clear. I can almost see your pain in the ass grin," she smiled to the waves below her.

"Well, if you'd turn around you'd be able to actually see it."

Makoto's warm smile froze. Her breathing stopped. Could it be possible?

But no. How many times had she had the same dream and opened her eyes to an empty bed? She couldn't allow herself to fall it anymore. She couldn't let his memory invade her life like this.

She shook her head to dispel the hallucination.

"Go away," she said.

"I want you to come with me," he said.

"Goodbye, Nephrite. I'll always love you."

"Turn around Makoto," his voice was gentle.

Makoto dropped the bouquet of roses into the ocean. She touched her fingers to her lips and waved him goodbye. Taking a deep breath, she turned her back on the ocean.

And came face to face with a ghost.

Nephrite stood in front of her in sand colored slacks and a loose white shirt. He wore flip flops and his hair flew all around him in the wind. The first two buttons of his shirt were undone, revealing a circle shaped light pink scar below his throat.

Her hallucinations had gotten completely out of control.

"You don't usually have legs when I dream about you." Her voice trembled. She was almost scared of her own mind's ability to create something so vivid.

"I don't usually have legs ever, but it's nice every once in a while." His hands were in his pockets, his posture relaxed but his eyes roamed her face as if he wanted to do nothing else but touch her.

The pair stood on the pier, feeling the fresh ocean spray cool their skin from the sun that was beginning to warm their cheeks, not saying a word. They maintained eye contact while Makoto wished she didn't have to go.

"I'm real, love. This isn't a dream," he spoke calmly as he took one step closer.

Makoto shook her head. "You were stabbed in the heart."

"The harpoon hurt like hell, but it missed all the important stuff." He took another step.

"I saw you fall. I saw the rocks below."

"Didn't see me hit them, though, did you?" He was only a foot from her.

"It's not possible," A tear slipped out of her eye. "You didn't come back."

"I couldn't. I may have survived all of that, but I almost didn't. Please believe me when I say, all I've wanted to do is find you again. Please don't cry, love." Nephrite raised his hand and with his thumb wiped away Makoto's tear.

Her eyes widened at his touch. At his warm touch. At his warm, so very real touch.

Her hand raised to cup his around her face. She touched his arm, his chest, his neck, and his face. Real, solid, flesh beneath her fingers. He was real. He was in front of her. He was alive.

"How?" She breathed.

"Mamoru felt me hit the water when I fell and found me only a day later. I was out for a long time. He healed my wounds, but it took months. I didn't know how to find you when I was strong enough to look. My best shot was to wait for you to come to the ocean. I've been waiting a long time for you, doc."

Makoto's tears flew in earnest.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't-" she sobbed, unable to finish her sentence.

Nephrite reached out and pulled her into his arms. She held him tightly and cried into his chest. He dug a hand into her hair and kissed the top of her head.

"Shh," he told her. "I'm here. I'm sorry I couldn't get to you earlier."

Makoto sniffled loudly into his shoulder. "I've missed you so much. This year has been awful."

"I know it has. But we're together. And you can come with me."

Makoto lifted her head, alarmed. "Go with you? You mean-"

"Would you like to become a mermaid and spend the rest of our lives together?" The hope in his eyes made her heart skip a beat.

"Are you proposing?"

Nephrite only smiled. Makoto's answering grin was all the answer he needed. He pulled her in once again and kissed her with all the passion he had been keeping in for the last year. Makoto tasted tears in between their kisses but wasn't sure if they were hers or his.

"Wait, wait!" She pushed him back slightly. "How do you turn me? What's the secret?"

"I can't turn you. I wasn't lying to Beryl. The only person that can turn someone into a merperson is Mamoru," Nephrite explained.

Makoto looked around for this mystical king of the mer people but didn't see anyone at the beach. There was only the group of loud people by the shore. Only, they weren't so loud anymore. And they were looking up at them. Four men and four women, smiling at them from below the pier.

"That's my family," Nephrite said in her ear. "Would you like to go meet them?"

Makoto nodded slowly, still in shock over everything that had happened in the last few minutes.

"Makoto. I am asking you to marry me, to spend the rest of your life with me. But I am also asking you to throw your life away and start a new one. A very long one. Is that something you're ready to do?"

Makoto looked up into Nephrite's blue eyes and felt her heart scream the answer. "As long as I'm with you, I'm ready for anything."

The end.

AN:

Y'all. This story kicked my ass lololol

But I hope you all enjoyed it!

And for those of you waiting on The Space Between, please know I haven't abandoned it.

I'm still planning on finishing it, it's just taking longer than I thought.

Much love! God bless! XOXO


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